Scotland's Economy

  • Welcoming International Women’s Day

    8th March 2019 by

    Today is International Women’s Day. It’s also the last day of Scottish Apprenticeship Week. Although very different in scale and theme, both events share an overarching theme: creating and celebrating opportunity. The opportunity I want to focus on during this important day, both as a woman but also as the Digital Economy Minister for Scotland,...

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  • This week: 22/02/19

    22nd February 2019 by

    Economic Impact of ‘No Deal’ Brexit A ‘No Deal’ Brexit could have a dramatic impact on Scotland’s economy, with the potential for national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to fall by up to 7%, according to a new report by the Scottish Government’s Chief Economist. The paper, ‘No Deal’ Brexit – Economic Implications for Scotland, sets...

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  • Unemployment in Scotland falls to lowest ever rate on record

    19th February 2019 by

    Commenting on this month’s labour market statistics update, released by the ONS for October to December 2018, Business Minister Jamie Hepburn said: “Despite the huge and continued challenges of Brexit, the Scottish economy and jobs market continues to strengthen. “Scotland’s employment rate rose to 75.5%, close to the highest on record. The unemployment rate fell...

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  • Unemployment below 100,000 for the first time on record

    22nd January 2019 by

    This month’s labour market statistics, released by the ONS for September to November 2018, show unemployment fell below 100,000 in Scotland for the first time on record. Business Minister Jamie Hepburn said: “Despite the huge and continued challenges of Brexit, the Scottish economy remains resilient and our jobs market is strengthening.    “Scotland’s unemployment rate reached...

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  • Lowest unemployment rate on record

    11th December 2018 by

    Commenting on the labour market statistics, released by the ONS for August to October 2018, Business Minister Jamie Hepburn said: “The Scottish economy and jobs market remain strong despite the continued challenges of Brexit. “Scotland’s unemployment rate fell again, down to 3.7%, which is lower than the UK rate of 4.1% – where unemployment has...

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  • This week 9/11/18

    9th November 2018 by

    Living Wage Week kicks off Scotland’s new Living Wage was announced as £9 per hour.  The First Minister visited Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory to mark the start of Living Wage Week, 5-9 November.   Read more here.           Apprenticeship Conference Skills Development Scotland delivered Scotland’s first Apprenticeship Conference as part of...

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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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  • 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 – 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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