Unemployment in Scotland falls slightly in last quarter

Unemployment in Scotland fell slightly in the last quarter, according to the latest figures.

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows the unemployment rate for people aged 16 years and over was 3.7% between July and September this year.

This was 0.1% down on the previous quarter but below the UK-wide unemployment rate of 5%.

There were 101,000 people aged 16 and over out of work in Scotland in the latest quarter, according to the figures.

The employment rate for those aged 16 to 64 was 74.3% which was 0.7% down on the previous quarter.

The figures showed about 2.655 million people aged 16 and over in Scotland were in employment between July and September this year.

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: “Despite economic challenges Scotland continues to have a lower unemployment rate than the UK as a whole.

“We are working with business to attract jobs and investment into Scotland’s local and regional economies.

“However, most of the powers to grow Scotland’s economy are reserved to the UK Parliament.

“The Chancellor needs to urgently prioritise economic growth in her autumn Budget, including by revisiting the damaging decision to raise employer’s National Insurance Contributions.”

Scottish Government analysis of HMRC early estimates found there were 2.45 million payrolled employees in Scotland in October 2025.

This was 2,000 lower than the previous month and 16,000 down on October 2024.