Employment in Scotland at record high

Employment in Scotland has reached record levels, according to new official statistics.

The figures, based on the Annual Population Survey 2017, show that between 2007 and 2017 the gender employment gap – the difference in male and female employment rates – decreased from 10.6 percentage points to 6.9 percentage points.

The statistics show that in 2017, 2,618,100 people were in employment, with the employment rate at 74.3 per cent, representing the highest figure on record for both categories.

Meanwhile the employment rate for people aged 16 to 24 increased to 59.4 per cent over the past year.

Between 2016 and 2017 the disability employment gap fell from 37.4 percentage points to 35.8 percentage points.

Employability minister Jamie Hepburn said: “This is an historic record for employment in Scotland, demonstrating both the strength of our economy and labour market and that the actions we are taking to grow Scotland’s economy are delivering results.

“Closing the gender gap is a priority for the Scottish Government and key to achieving inclusive economic growth. We are addressing this through several routes, including expanding childcare provision, promoting flexible working and a Scottish living wage, addressing pregnancy and maternity discrimination and improving women’s representation in senior management and boards.

“We are committed to helping disabled people reach their full potential, including having fair and sustainable jobs. I am committed to reducing the disability employment gap by more than half and the latest figures are encouraging and show we are heading in the right direction.”