Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said:
Today's figures show encouraging signs for Scotland, with unemployment down and the number of people on the payroll continuing to grow.
Our Plan for Jobs is working, helping people secure well-paid, skilled work. New figures today show that 100,000 young people have started new jobs through the Kickstart scheme, among them thousands of Scots who've been helped onto the first rung of their career ladders.
The UK Government's priority continues to be levelling up across the length and breadth of the UK. With a record £41 billion in Barnett-based funding for Scotland per year, we are supporting businesses to grow, communities to thrive and job opportunities to flourish in every part of the country.
Background
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the rate of unemployment in Scotland has decreased by 0.6 p.p. year on year. The rate of employment has increased by 0.7 p.p. since last year, reflecting a stronger position than the UK average.
