While headline indicators of Scotland’s labour market remain strong, the latest data show a relatively sharp quarterly increase in the unemployment rate from 4% to 4.5%. While the unemployment rate remains low by historical standard, this increase may be the first indication that the weak output growth experienced over the past couple of years is feeding through to labour market outcomes.
Authors
Ben is an economist at the Fraser of Allander Institute working across a number of projects areas. He has a Masters in Economics from the University of Edinburgh, and a degree in Economics from the University of Strathclyde.
His main areas of focus are economic policy, social care and criminal justice in Scotland. Ben also co-edits the quarter Economic Commentary and has experience in business survey design and dissemination.