Scotland's jobless figure goes up despite UK fall

Job Centre Plus site in Glasgow Credit: Press Assocation

The UK figures for unemployment disguise a worrying picture in Scotland where the number of people out of work has gone up by 4,000 to 218,000.

The unemployment rate is now 8.1% compared to the average of 7.8% for the rest of the UK.

In addition to the rise in people out of work there was also a fall in the number of Scots in employment - it went down by 27,000 between July and September to 2,472,000.

The Scottish Director of Totaljobs.com, an employment seeking website, described the figures as "very concerning":

Scotland's First Minister has pinned the blame for this continuing rise in unemployment on the UK Government, claiming the Chancellor George Osborne is the biggest danger to the economy.

Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond during First Minister's Questions Credit: Press Association

He went on to demand the Chancellor introduces immediate measures to boost the economy:

In response, the UK Government says from next year Scottish Secretary Michael Moore will jointly chair a Scottish Employability Forum with Scottish Finance Secretary John Swinney. The forum will bring together the government, employers and others to try to tackle the problem.