Scotland's unemployment rate falls sharply

Scotland's unemployment rate fell sharply in the autumn to below its level before the start of the pandemic, according to official figures.

Office for National Statistics data showed the number of Scots seeking work between September and November fell on the previous quarter by 0.8% to 3.6%.

The figure for the UK as a whole was 4.1%.

Meanwhile, the employment rate rose to 75.1% of working age adults, lower than the UK figure of 75.5%.

Scotland's Employment Minister Richard Lochhead said more Scots may now be employed by companies than before the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

He said "early estimates" from HM Revenue and Customs showed that in December 2021 there were 2.42 million employees in Scotland - 22,000 more than there were in February 2020.

Scotland’s unemployment rate has fallen sharply in the past year, according to new figures from the Scottish government. The country’s jobless rate now stands at 4.8%, the lowest rate since 2006. The Scottish government attributed the fall to a rise in employment and a decrease in the number of people seeking unemployment benefits. The Scottish economy is expected to grow by around 2% this year, which is faster than the UK as a whole.