Scotland needs another 110,000 jobs to return to the levels enjoyed before the financial crisis five years ago, a think tank has warned.
The employment rate is still well below what it was in 2008 and the slow recovery has left Scotland with a “jobs gap” far higher than in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland, according to the Resolution Foundation.
The figures show how just much ground the economy north of the Border still has to make up to return to pre-recession levels.
It follows suggestions in recent months that the UK has finally returned to growth after years in which the economy flatlined.
Alex Hurrell, senior analyst at the Resolution Foundation, which aims to improve living standards for the estimated 15 million on low and middle incomes in the UK, said: “Unfortunately these figures show that the jobs recovery continues to be very difficult in Scotland and that there is a long way to go before the hole knocked in employment during the recession is repaired.
“Economic confidence seems to be on the rise in the UK and this is partly down to a welcome increase in the overall numbers of people in work. However this hasn’t matched the rate of the increase in the adult population and the result has been that employment, measured as a proportion of people aged 16 and over, has fallen everywhere.
“There may be particular factors at work in nations or regions which help explain their individual performance – but one clear trend is that London is doing better than the rest of the country.”
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