Scotland
Young adult unemployment
Key points
- The 'unemployment rate' is the proportion of the 'economically active' population who are not working.
- The unemployment rate among 16- to 24-year-olds in Scotland has fallen slightly over the last decade, from 16% to 13%. But it is now four times the rate for older workers, which has halved over the same period.
- As a result, nearly half of those who are unemployed are now aged under 25.
- The unemployment rate for 16- to 24-year-olds in Scotland is somewhat below the UK average: 13% compared with 15%.
- See the indicator on the wider issue of lack of work among working-age adults as a whole.
Graph 1: Over time (proportions)
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Graph 2: Over time (numbers)
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Graph 3: Compared to the United Kingdom
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Definitions and data sources
The first graph shows the unemployment rate for those aged 16 to 24, compared with those aged 25 and over (up to retirement).
The second graph shows the same information but in terms of the actual numbers unemployed.
The third graph shows how unemployment rate for 16- to 24-year-olds in Scotland compares with the rest of the United Kingdom. To improve its statistical reliability, the data is the average for the latest three years.
'Unemployment' is the ILO definition, which is used for the official government unemployment numbers. It comprises all those with no paid work in the survey week who were available to start work in the next fortnight and who either looked for work in the last month or were waiting to start a job already obtained.
The unemployment rate is the percentage of the economically active population who are unemployed (i.e. the number who are unemployed divided by the number who are either in paid work or unemployed).
The data source for all the graphs is the Labour Force Survey (LFS). The figures for each year are the average for the four quarters of the relevant year.
Overall adequacy of the indicator: high. The LFS is a large, well-established, quarterly government survey designed to be representative of the population as a whole.
External links
- See the Scottish Government's strategy for young people not in education, employment or training.