Number of Scots working falls by 17,000
Scottish unemployment rate rises
The number of people in work in Scotland has fallen by 17,000 according to new data. The figure comes from a report carried out between December and February by The Office for National Statistics.
The ONS data also showed 115,000 Scots were looking for work - a rise of 3,000.
The unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.2%, the same rate as the UK-wide figure.
The employment rate among people under 65 remained steady at 75%.
Employability and training minister Jamie Hepburn said the number of people in work remains high by historical standards. He said:
"Scotland's employment rate has increased over the year, with 81,000 more people in employment compared to the pre-recession peak while our unemployment rate decreased by 0.3 percentage points over the year to 4.2% and has been lower or the same as the UK for 13 of the past 14 months.
"We continue to outperform the UK on employment and unemployment rates for young people and women, with 71.9.% of women and 57.3% of young people in employment in Scotland compared to 71% of women and 53.9% of young people in the UK."
The figures were described as weak by business leaders.
Andy Willox, the Federation of Small Businesses' Scottish policy convener, said:
"Today's weak figures will make uncomfortable reading for those charged with looking after Scotland's job markets.
"Scotland's smaller businesses have a great record of creating jobs and opportunities in communities across the country.
"Governments in Edinburgh and London can do more to charge these firms with confidence about the future. For starters, we could look again at how the state buys goods and services".