Scotland's Economy

  • This week 16/11/18

    16th November 2018 by

    Fair Work Charter The Fair Work Charter for Severe Weather has been published by the Scottish Government to encourage employers to treat workers fairly and be mindful of their safety in the event of extreme weather. It provides four guiding principles to help employers prepare for adverse weather. Read morehttp://ow.ly/PlSe30mDGCL Life Sciences Figures Figures released...

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  • Living Wage Week

    11th November 2018 by

    This week we have been celebrating Living Wage Week 2018. As Minister with responsibility for Fair Work and Business, I have spent the week visiting living wage employees and meeting people who are being paid the living wage rate. I was delighted to welcome the news that rate of the real Living Wage will increase to...

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  • This week 2/11/18

    2nd November 2018 by

    Introducing the business rates cap Hotels across Scotland and offices in Aberdeen are amongst those who will benefit from a cap to their business rates bill following an announcement by Public Finance Minister Kate Forbes. Having already benefited from the cap in 2017-18 and 2018-19, hospitality businesses will now see rates capped at a maximum...

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  • Two weeks of talking up Scotland in Europe

    19th October 2018 by

    Minister for Trade, Investment and Innovation, Ivan McKee, usually visits innovative businesses all over Scotland as part of his role. However, over the last couple of weeks he’s been talking up Scotland to other countries in Europe. Last week he started in London for a series of meetings including discussions with Nesta, a global innovation...

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  • Strengthening economic links with Ireland

    18th October 2018 by

    Minister for the Digital Economy and Public Finances Kate Forbes will travel to Dublin this week to undertake a series of engagements to strengthen Scotland’s economic links with Ireland. The Scottish and Irish Governments have been working towards creating greater economic links for some time and the Minister’s visit highlights our ambition to collaborate with...

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  • This week – 21/09/18

    21st September 2018 by

    Scottish growth pulls ahead of the UK The Scottish economy grew by 0.5% during the second quarter of 2018, according to statistics announced this week by Scotland’s Chief Statistician. In the first half of this year, Scottish GDP grew by 0.8% compared to 0.6% in the UK. This growth in the first six months of 2018...

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  • This week – 14/09/18

    14th September 2018 by

    Labour Market Statistics Published on Tuesday, the labour market statistics released by the ONS for May to July 2018, showed that Scotland’s unemployment rate fell over the quarter to 4.1%. On employment for women and young people, Scotland continue to outperform the UK with an employment rate of 71.5% for women, higher than the UK rate...

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  • This week – 31/08/18

    31st August 2018 by

    R&D funding for Prestwick First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed £4.8 million funding for Spirit AeroSytems new open access Aerospace Innovation Centre at its manufacturing site in Prestwick. Innovation within the new centre will focus on the development of the next generation of aircraft. It will also help develop the technology for composite materials and automated assembly...

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  • This week – 24/08/18

    24th August 2018 by

    GERS Scotland’s public finances are continuing to improve, with total revenue reaching £60 billion, as the economy grew twice as fast as the UK at the start of 2018. According to the Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) figures published this week, onshore tax revenue increased by £2 billion in 2017-18, while offshore revenue increasing...

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  • This week – 17/08/18

    17th August 2018 by

    Labour Market Statistics Scotland’s employment rate has increased over the quarter, with 2,642,000 people now in work in Scotland. Our unemployment rate fell over the quarter to 4.2%. On female and youth employment, we continue to outperform the UK with an employment rate of 71.6% for women, higher than the UK rate of 71.0%, and...

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