Chapter 2 - Labour market analysis
Employment
In 2007, the number of working age people in employment was estimated at 2.432 million (76.0%). A further 88,900 people over working age were estimated to be in employment. Table 1 shows the variation in employment rates across local authorities. Glasgow City had the lowest employment rate with only 66.7% of its working age population in work.
Table 1: Working age employment rates and levels, 2006-2007
Geography
(Residence Based) | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|
Proportion | Proportion | Level |
|---|
Scotland | 75.7% | 76.0% | 2,432,400 |
|---|
Local Authority Area |
|---|
Aberdeen City | 80.9% | 79.1% | 107,600 |
|---|
Aberdeenshire | 81.6% | 82.7% | 121,800 |
|---|
Angus | 80.7% | 79.2% | 51,000 |
|---|
Argyll & Bute | 81.0% | 80.0% | 41,400 |
|---|
Clackmannanshire | 72.0% | 69.5% | 20,900 |
|---|
Dumfries & Galloway | 79.8% | 77.5% | 66,600 |
|---|
Dundee City | 71.7% | 72.1% | 63,700 |
|---|
East Ayrshire | 72.3% | 73.1% | 53,200 |
|---|
East Dunbartonshire | 81.2% | 79.0% | 49,700 |
|---|
East Lothian | 79.0% | 79.3% | 43,900 |
|---|
East Renfrewshire | 78.9% | 77.3% | 41,100 |
|---|
Edinburgh, City of | 76.5% | 77.2% | 243,500 |
|---|
Eilean Siar | 79.8% | 79.4% | 12,200 |
|---|
Falkirk | 78.0% | 78.1% | 72,800 |
|---|
Fife | 76.3% | 75.9% | 169,000 |
|---|
Glasgow City | 64.4% | 66.7% | 256,600 |
|---|
Highland | 79.9% | 82.0% | 107,000 |
|---|
Inverclyde | 72.3% | 68.5% | 34,000 |
|---|
Midlothian | 81.1% | 80.7% | 39,000 |
|---|
Moray | 79.2% | 80.5% | 41,700 |
|---|
North Ayrshire | 70.9% | 71.6% | 58,500 |
|---|
North Lanarkshire | 73.1% | 73.2% | 148,900 |
|---|
Orkney Islands | 83.2% | 86.4% | 10,300 |
|---|
Perth & Kinross | 79.6% | 78.2% | 64,800 |
|---|
Renfrewshire | 76.9% | 75.0% | 79,200 |
|---|
Scottish Borders | 79.4% | 81.5% | 53,200 |
|---|
Shetland Islands | 85.1% | 88.1% | 11,700 |
|---|
South Ayrshire | 74.7% | 77.2% | 50,800 |
|---|
South Lanarkshire | 77.4% | 78.9% | 151,400 |
|---|
Stirling | 74.8% | 76.8% | 41,600 |
|---|
West Dunbartonshire | 73.6% | 73.9% | 42,200 |
|---|
West Lothian | 79.2% | 77.9% | 83,000 |
|---|
Deprivation |
|---|
15% Most Deprived Areas | 56.1% | 58.6% | 262,900 |
|---|
Rest of Scotland | 79.0% | 78.9% | 2,169,500 |
|---|
Urban/Rural Classification (6 fold) |
|---|
Large Urban Areas | 72.5% | 73.1% | 933,200 |
|---|
Other Urban Areas | 76.5% | 76.6% | 708,600 |
|---|
Accessible Small Towns | 76.9% | 76.4% | 218,200 |
|---|
Remote Small Towns | 78.4% | 78.4% | 86,400 |
|---|
Accessible Rural | 81.1% | 81.3% | 334,500 |
|---|
Remote Rural | 79.3% | 79.5% | 151,400 |
|---|
Enterprise Region |
|---|
Highlands & Islands | 80.5% | 81.9% | 212,300 |
|---|
Rest of Scotland | 75.3% | 75.5% | 2,220,100 |
|---|
In 2007, the employment rate estimate for the 15% most deprived areas in Scotland was 58.6%; considerably lower than that for the rest of Scotland (78.9%).
The employment rate estimates were highest for accessible rural areas (81.3%). This compares to an employment rate estimate of 73.1% for large urban areas.
The employment rate for the Highlands & Islands Enterprise area was higher at 81.9% than the rate for the rest of Scotland (75.5%).
The data from Table 1 is also used to measure the Government's Purpose Target on Cohesion which is to narrow the gap in participation between Scotland's best and worst performing regions by 2017. Table 2 shows how we are performing against this target with estimates of the average employment rate for the best performing 3 local authority areas and the 3 worst performing local authority areas within each year and shows how the gap has changed from 2001.