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Kirkcaldy is ‘leading the way in cutting unemployment’

At Age Concern in Dundee are Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael and senior manager Patrick Delargy.
At Age Concern in Dundee are Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael and senior manager Patrick Delargy.

Kirkcaldy is leading the way when it comes to cutting unemployment in Scotland, according to new figures.

Data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) also shows employment in the country is at the highest level since records began in 1992.

Unemployment in Scotland fell by 2,000, to 176,000 in the period April to June, according to the ONS.

Kirkcaldy had the biggest fall in people claiming Jobseekers Allowance nationally, a 2% drop, although it still has the third highest Scottish claimant count at 5%.

MSP David Torrance said: “This is really good news. It shows unemployment figures are going in the right direction in Kirkcaldy.

“We have had quite high unemployment in this area for a long, long time because of a loss of industry. This shows companies are having more confidence to take people on.”

The figures show Scotland has a slightly higher youth employment rate than the UK as a whole and the youth unemployment rate has decreased by 2.9% over the year to match the UK at 16.2%.

The overall employment level has now increased over the quarter for 18 consecutive monthly releases, the longest ever unbroken run of increasing quarterly employment.

Visiting Dundee family-run company Frolick, Secretary of State for Scotland Alistair Carmichael said: “It is good to see the number of people claiming Jobseekers allowance continues to fall.

“It is now at its lowest level since October 2008 and is 35,500 lower than one year ago.”

He added: “It was great to visit this thriving family-run business in Dundee. Across the country the New Enterprise Allowance is helping thousands of jobseeking Scots build a career and fulfil their ambitions.”

Mr Carmichael also visited Age Concern and Carolina House Trust in the city. The Scottish Government also published its latest Quarterly National Accounts statistics for Scotland.

It showed GDP including offshore activity has reached nearly £148 billion over the last four quarters, and at around £27,700 per person is 10% higher than the equivalent UK figure.

Cabinet Secretary for Training, Youth and Women’s Employment Angela Constance said: “I am pleased to see that youth employment has increased and that fewer young people are now unemployed in Scotland compared to a year ago.

“It is so important that our young people have the chance to get a foothold in the labour market and we want to see this figure continue to decrease.”

Scottish Trades Union Congress general secretary Grahame Smith said: “The unprecedented collapse in real wages at UK level worsened over this period with the data confirming a nominal before adjusting for inflation fall.”

Scottish Chambers of Commerce chief executive Liz Cameron said: “This month’s employment figures are very encouraging, with both a fall in unemployment and a significant rise in employment.”