Last updated: 02 February 2022
Here is detailed information on current evidence for direct and indirect health impacts, and social and economic impacts, of COVID-19.
You can find explanatory detail on the evidence for each impact, the data sources and (where applicable) methodology for this evidence, and any caveats that should be taken into account when interpreting or using these figures.
You can also find a list of key dates on the homepage.
The latest modelled estimate for the R value in Scotland was between 0.7 and 0.9.
The latest modelled estimate for the R value for Scotland, as of 11 January 2022, was between 0.7 and 0.9. The upper limit has decreased since last week. These figures are based on data to 24 January 2022 and were published on 27 January. R is an indicator that lags by two to three weeks and therefore should not be expected to reflect recent fluctuations.
For the number of infectious people to fall we need to keep the R number consistently below 1. A sustained increase above 1 indicates exponential growth in the number of cases, leading to increased hospitalisations and deaths, and causing very significant harm to Scotland’s health, society and economy should prevalence be at an elevated level.
This is why it is important to remain vigilant and respond quickly to any outbreaks and increases in cases. The R number can be thought of as the average number of people that each infected person passes the virus on to.
Source: Scottish Government
Methodology: Prior to 26 July 2021, the consensus was agreed by SAGE. The consensus has since been agreed by UKHSA.
The latest modelled estimate for the incidence of new daily infections in Scotland was between 47 and 572 new infections per 100,000 people.
The latest modelled estimate for COVID-19 incidence for Scotland, as of 11 January 2022, was between 47 and 572 new daily infections per 100,000 people which equates to between 2,600 and 31,300 people becoming infected each day. These figures are based on data to 24 January 2022 and were published on 27 January.
This indicator was not available before 12 August 2020.
The various groups which report to the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (SPI-M) use different sources of data in their models to produce estimates of incidence. The figures here show SPI-M’s consensus view across these methods.
Source: Scottish Government
Methodology: SPI-M Consensus
## Warning: Ignoring 1 observationsIn the week to 7 January, average daily cases of COVID-19 reached the greatest peak since the start of the pandemic of 16,745 average cases. Average daily Covid-19 cases confirmed by either a first LFD or PCR positive test then decreased and, in the last ten days, have remained relatively stable with 7,443 average cases in the week to 28 January.
The Office for National Statistics Covid-19 Infection Survey (CIS) provides an alternative source of positivity data to the case data presented in the cases chart and described below. The survey now indicates an estimated 1 in 30 people (95% credible interval: 1 in 35 to 1 in 30) would have tested positive for coronavirus in Scotland in the latest week 16 to 22 January 2022. This equates to around 163,600 people (95% credible interval: 143,600 to 184,500) or 3.11% (95% credible interval: 2.73% to 3.50%) of the population living in private residential households in Scotland. The CIS also indicates that the percentage of people testing positive for COVID-19 in Scotland continued to decrease in the week 16 to 22 January 2022.
There have been some recent changes to testing policy which affect the cases section of this dashboard. On 5 January 2022, the Scottish Government announced that people who do not have symptoms of Covid-19 will no longer be asked to take a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test to confirm a positive Lateral Flow Device (LFD) result. Instead, anyone with a positive LFD, who does not have symptoms, should report the result online as soon as the test is done. This means that those without symptoms who previously would have taken a confirmatory PCR test, will no longer do so. As a result, these positive cases are no longer captured in the number of PCR positive cases reported by the Scottish Government and PHS.
In order to ensure that we continue to provide the most accurate information, changes have been made to the national Covid-19 case definition to reflect this revised testing strategy. From Thursday 13 January, the headline number of new cases reported on the Scottish Government daily data webpage includes people with a Covid-19 infection confirmed by either a first LFD or PCR positive test. These figures are produced by Public Health Scotland as “experimental statistics”and may be subject to future revision as the new method for counting combined PCR and LFD tests evolves. More information about the changes to reporting on Covid-19 cases can be found in this blog post.
The cases chart and analysis refers to PCR only figures up to 5 January 2022. From 6 January 2022, when the change in testing policy came into effect, the chart shows the experimental statistics which give a combined figure for the number of people who have recorded either a first positive PCR or an LFD test. Caution is advised in interpreting and comparing the case numbers before and after the announcement about changes to test policy and introduction of the experimental statistics.
There were over 300 7-day average daily cases of COVID-19 throughout much of April 2020, during the first lockdown. Cases then declined and by early July 2020 there were fewer than 10 7-day average cases, even in the context of increased testing. Cases then rose, reaching over 1,452 7-day average cases on 26 October 2020. Regional restrictions were introduced on 9 October 2020; 7-day average cases then decreased to 749 on 19 December 2020.
Average daily cases then increased to 2,323 cases on 7 January 2021. After the second lockdown began on 5 January 2021, cases decreased to 149 7-day average cases on 5 May 2021. There were two further peaks in cases on 4 July 2021 (3,454 7-day average cases) and on 6 September 2021 (6,414 7-day average cases). Cases then declined throughout September and fluctuated throughout October and November.
On 30 November 2021, there was the first confirmed case of the omicron variant in Scotland. Average daily Covid-19 cases then rapidly increased to the highest peak since the start of the pandemic of 16,745 average cases on 7 January 2022. Average daily Covid-19 cases confirmed by either a first LFD or PCR positive test then decreased and, in the last ten days, have remained relatively stable with 7,443 average cases in the week to 28 January.
The World Health Organisation recommends looking at several indicators when considering whether the epidemic is controlled. This data is needed to keep track of new positive cases and to monitor the progression and impact of the virus in Scotland.
These figures will be an underestimate of the number of cases. Not everyone with COVID-19 will display symptoms and not all those with symptoms will be tested.
While the number of positive cases is higher in later peaks than in the April 2020 peak, a greater number of tests are now being completed as we now have additional facilities for sampling and testing. In early January 2021 an average of over 150,000 tests have been completed per week, compared to 10,000 to 20,000 tests per week in April 2020. In addition, NHS testing capacity has increased significantly with the opening of 2 of the 3 regional testing hubs. Scotland now has capacity to process over 65,000 samples per day as committed to in the Testing Strategy.
Due to new data feeds being established between England and Scotland, from 18 November 2021 PHS will include data from private laboratory testing within Pillar 2 figures. Reports now contain this data in real-time, however, figures reported on 18 November 2021 contained historic data from 22 October 2021 and may therefore look inflated.
Public Health Scotland expect variability in reporting of Covid-19 testing data over the festive period due to availability of testing and people presenting for testing. Caution is advised when interpreting this data.
Case numbers for each day reflect activity within the 24-hour period from midnight to midnight the previous day. Due to the dynamic nature of the experimental data, as individuals progress through their testing journey, cases can move between the three different categories. However, cases will only be counted once in the overall cumulative totals. Cases are reported against the first positive reporting date from PCR or LFD.
Scotland is participating in the Covid-19 Infection Survey which is being conducted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the University of Oxford, on behalf of the UK and Scottish Government. The Four Harms dashboard will continue to include data from the Covid-19 Infection Survey which is unaffected by testing policy changes. The survey invites private residential households in the UK to test for Covid-19 in order to establish the number of people that test positive for Covid-19 infection symptomatically and asymptomatically, average number of new cases per week and the number of people who test positive for antibodies. This study does not rely on self-reporting of lateral LFDs, and it also picks up asymptomatic infection, meaning it is a reliable and consistent measure to understand the infection levels in the private residential households.
Source: SG open data platform, Scottish Government and Covid-19 infection survey
Methodology: Testing data is sourced from Public Health Scotland (PHS). Numbers for each day reflect activity within the 24-hour period from midnight to midnight the previous day.
Until 27 July 2021, Numbers for each day reflected activity within the 24-hour period from 5:15am the previous day to 5:15am.
Up until 14 June 2020 these figures were based on tests carried out through NHS Scotland labs only. From 15 June 2020 they also include numbers of people tested through the UK Government (UKG) testing programme, which were not previously available to Scottish Government. This caused a jump in the cumulative data series when the backlog was reported on 15 June.
Last week, there were 121 deaths involving COVID-19, a decrease of 25 on the previous week.
Deaths involving COVID-19 have decreased from the previous week (17 January to 23 January 2022), with 121 deaths involving COVID-19 in the most recent week (24 January to 30 January 2022).
The World Health Organisation recommends looking at several indicators when considering whether the epidemic is controlled. One of these is a decline in the number of deaths among confirmed and probable cases at least for the last 3 weeks.
As of 30 January 2022, there have been a total of 12,946 deaths registered where COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate. The first mention of COVID-19 in a registered death certificate was the week beginning 16 March 2020. In the most recent week (24 January to 30 January 2022), there were 121 deaths where COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate. 75 deaths took place in a hospital, 10 at home or in a non-institutional setting, 35 in care homes, and 1 in other institutions.
Source: National Records of Scotland
Methodology: The figures in this publication focus on deaths where COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate (either as a confirmed or suspected cause of death).
Weekly average hospital admissions rapidly increased throughout late-December and early January to a peak of 155 average admissions on 4 January 2022. Average admissions remained between 150 and 160 until the 13 January 2022 when they started to decrease. In the week ending 21 January 2022, average daily hospital admissions decreased to 101.
The average number of COVID-19 hospital admissions per day is currently lower than the first peak of over 180 in the first week of April 2020. Hospital admissions decreased throughout November 2020 and remained relatively stable throughout December 2020. From 25 December 2020 to 12 January 2021, admissions increased sharply to the highest rate since the start of the pandemic of over 200 average daily admission.
Average daily COVID-19 hospital admissions then decreased to a low of 9 in the weeks to 4 and 5 May 2021 before peaking again at 91 in the week to 13 July 2021 and 166 in the week ending 13 September 2021.
Hospital admissions fluctuated throughout October 2022 and decreased throughout November 2022. There was a small peak in weekly average hospital admissions on 10 December 2022 of 78, followed by a low of 70 admissions on 14 December 2022. Weekly average hospital admissions rapidly increased throughout late-December and early-January to a peak of 160 average admissions on 4 January 2022. Average admissions remained between 150 and 160 until the 13 January 2022 when they started to decrease. In the week ending 21 January 2022, average daily hospital admissions decreased to 101.
COVID-19 hospital admission numbers give an indication of the impacts the virus is having on the NHS. This is an important measure for tracking the progress of the virus and helps to assess ongoing COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 pressures on the NHS.
COVID-19 hospital admissions are identified by a PCR positive test.
Source: Public Health Scotland and Scottish Government Data Definitions and Sources
Methodology: Data from Public Health Scotland. Additional breakdowns (e.g. by Health Board) are available via the referenced source.
A&E attendance levels have fluctuated in the last month.
The number of A&E attendances decreased to 41% of normal pre-COVID-19 levels in the week ending 29 March 2020. A&E attendances then increased to around 85% of normal levels throughout August and September. From mid-September to the beginning of February 2021, A&E attendances decreased to 63% of normal levels in the week ending 7 February 2021. A&E attendances then increased to 101% of normal levels in the week ending 6 June 2021, and have fluctuated since. There was a drop in A&E attendance in the week ending 26 December 2021, likely due to a change in behaviour over Christmas.
Pre-COVID-19 A&E attendance is calculated using an average of 2018 and 2019 attendance.
A&E attendance numbers give an indication of the wider impacts COVID-19 is having across the NHS.
The 'NHS is Open' campaign was launched on 24 April 2020 to encourage members of the public not to delay seeking medical advice.
Source: Public Health Scotland
Methodology: Does not include attendances to Minor Injury Units. Data from Public Health Scotland. Additional breakdowns (e.g. by Health Board) are available via the referenced source. From October, this data will be updated once per month.
Deaths are 8% below average levels for this time of year.
Deaths were below average in week 4 of 2022 for the fourth week in a row.
Excess deaths are the total number of deaths registered in a week minus the average number of deaths registered in the same week over the previous five years (excluding 2020). Measuring excess deaths allows us to track seasonal influenza, pandemics and other public health threats. Excess deaths include deaths caused by COVID-19 and those resulting from other causes. In this chart, excess deaths are shown by the difference between the grey line, which shows the weekly average for deaths over the previous 5 years (excluding 2020) and the blue line showing total deaths in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
The five-year average of 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 will be used to measure excess deaths in 2022 as including 2020 will inflate the five year average due to the high number of deaths in Spring 2020.
The other blue line on this chart is labelled ‘COVID-19 deaths’ - this shows weekly totals for the number of COVID-19 deaths. Presenting this alongside ‘total deaths’ for the same week shows the extent to which COVID-19 deaths have contributed to the number of excess deaths, and the extent to which the number of excess deaths may be attributable to other causes or indirectly caused by COVID-19. In the week ending 26 April 2020, there were 663 COVID-19 deaths that contributed to an overall total of 1,836 deaths. The 5 year weekly average tells us that we would typically expect 1,087 deaths in that week – there is a difference (or ‘excess’) of 749, of which 663 were related to COVID-19.
Source: National Records of Scotland
Methodology: Excess deaths are the total number of deaths registered in a week in 2021 and 2022 minus the average number of deaths registered in the same week over the period including years 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021.
Emergency hospital admission levels decreased from mid-November to late-December. However, they have increased in the most recent week ending 2 January 2022 to 90% of normal levels.
Meanwhile planned hospital admission levels have decreased in the last month. This is consistent with the trends seen in previous years.
The number of emergency admissions dropped to 60% of normal pre-COVID-19 levels in the week ending 29 March 2020. Emergency admissions then increased to a peak of 95% of normal levels in the week ending 23 August 2020, before decreasing to around 76% of normal levels at the end of December. Emergency admissions then increased to 102% of normal levels in mid-June and remained at 90% to 100% of normal levels until mid-December. There was a drop in the number of emergency admission in the weeks ending 26 December 2021 to 80% of normal levels, likely due to a change in behaviour over Christmas.
The number of planned hospital admissions dropped to 27% of normal pre-COVID-19 levels in the week ending 19 April 2020. The number of planned admissions increased after that and then remained around 70% to 80% of normal levels from September to late December. The subsequent drop in planned admissions over the festive period was in line with previous years.
Planned hospital admissions then decreased to under 60% of normal levels from late January to early February 2021. They have since fluctuated between 62% (week ending 3 October 2021) and 87% (week ending 16 May 2021) of normal levels. The sharp drop in planned admission over the festive period was again in line with previous years.
Hospital admission numbers give an indication of the wider impacts COVID-19 is having across the NHS. All elective procedures were suspended when lockdown began. The 'NHS is Open' campaign was launched on 24 April to encourage members of the public not to delay seeking medical advice.
Public Health Scotland publishes a dashboard which presents more information on the wider impacts COVID-19 is having on the health care system. It provides information on hospital admissions, unscheduled care and volume of calls to NHS24. You can view the data presented by age, sex, deprivation quintile, specialty, elective versus emergency and by geographical location.
Source: NHSScotland open data platform
Methodology: Data from Public Health Scotland. Additional breakdowns (e.g. by Health Board) are available via the referenced source. From October, this data will be updated once per month.
A substantial minority are reluctant to contact a GP practice at the moment for immediate non-COVID-19 health concerns.
The proportion of people who agree that they would avoid contacting a GP practice at the moment for immediate non-COVID-19 health concerns is 25%.
There has been a reluctance from people to seek non-COVID-19 healthcare treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence suggests that since the end of October 2021 between 21-33% of people agreed or strongly agreed that they would avoid contacting a GP practice at the moment even if they had an immediate medical concern (not related to Coronavirus). Responses were broadly similar across different groups of the population.
Source: YouGov
Methodology: Web panel survey. Total sample size is c. 1000 adults each week. Fieldwork undertaken from 21-23 April onwards, weekly. This question was included from 27-28 October, replacing a previous question asking whether people would avoid the GP/hospital. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all Scottish adults (aged 18+).
The percentage of school openings with pupils not in school because of COVID-19 related reasons increased slightly in the latest week to 4.6% on 26 January 2022.
Provisional figures for Wednesday 26 January 2022 show that 87.7% of school openings had pupils attending, either physically or from home. The percentage of school openings with pupils absent for non-COVID-19 reasons was 7.6% and for COVID-19 related reasons this was 4.6%. Scottish Government Education Analytical Services publishes a dashboard which contains additional information on school attendance and absence.
In response to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the Scottish Government asked education and childcare settings to re-open only for vulnerable children and children of key workers following the Christmas break in January 2021.
From Monday 22 February 2021 all children in P1-P3 in mainstream and special schools were to return to school. Some Senior Phase (S4-S6) pupils were also due to return to school on a part-time basis to attend practical lessons.
From Monday 15 March 2021 all children in Primary school were to return to school, with all Secondary pupils returning on a part-time basis from this date. Data shown on the graph for this period relate to Primary school pupils only. From Monday 12 April 2021 all pupils returned to school on a full-time basis.
After the summer holiday 2021, the majority of children and young people had returned to full time education by the week ending 20 August 2021. Throughout October schools were on half-term holidays, and testing rates in children were lower during this period.
October half-term dates varied across the country with most schools closed from 11 to 22 October 2021. The period highlighted on the chart (4 - 29 October 2021) covers the full period when at least some schools were closed for half-term. No school was closed for the full four weeks.
Christmas holiday dates varied across the country with some schools closing from 17 December, but most schools closing the following week. All schools were closed to pupils from 24 December 2021 to 4 January 2022, with some re-opening from Wednesday 5 January 2022. All schools were re-open to pupils from Tuesday 11 January 2022. The period highlighted on the chart (20 December 2021 to 10 January 2022) covers the full period when at least some schools were closed for the Christmas holidays.
Source: Scottish Government COVID-19: trends in daily data for Scotland
Methodology: This information is provisional and currently based on Local Authority schools only (primary, secondary and special schools). This information is based on Local Authority schools only (primary, secondary and special schools). Figures for the most recent week are provisional. Figures for previous weeks are final.
Scottish Welfare Fund crisis grant applications increased by 17% in November 2021 compared to November 2020.
The Scottish Welfare Fund is administered by local authorities. Crisis grants aim to help people who are in crisis because of a disaster or an emergency.
Since March 2020 the impacts of COVID-19 have affected Crisis Grant application numbers. Applications increased rapidly in March and peaked in April 2020. After falling between May and July, applications increased again between August and October 2020. It is likely increases were due to financial hardship resulting from COVID-19. 2021 has seen declines from a peak in January, but a further resurgence of applications occurred in June, which appeared to be a transitory blip. There were 7% fewer Crisis Grant applications in October 2021, compared to October 2020.
Source: Scottish Government
Methodology: Figures are collected from local authorities at the end of each month and combined to Scotland level.
Recorded crime in December 2021 was lower than both December 2019 and December 2020.
Police recorded crime was 8% lower in December 2021 than the same month of 2020 (when pandemic restrictions were in place) and 12% lower than December 2019 (for which there was no pandemic or restrictions on movement).
Changes in police recorded crime is one indicator of the impact that the COVID-19 restrictions are having across society. Generally across the pandemic recorded crime has been lower than the year prior (2019-20). Some caution is advised before attributing all differences to COVID-19. Longer term trends, which existed before the pandemic, may remain a factor in some types of offending recorded by the police.
Source: Recorded Crime in Scotland: December 2021
Methodology: The total figure for recorded crime excludes the new crimes being recorded under the recently enacted coronavirus legislation. See the source publication for more information.
Around half of people report feeling lonely.
In Ipsos MORI surveys carried out between May and July 2020 between 53-59% felt lonely some/most/almost all or all of the time. This indicator is now measured by YouGov surveys with the same question. Between July and the present it has been between 44% and 54%. It is now 49%.
The lockdown period has been associated with higher than usual levels of reported loneliness. The majority of people report feeling lonely at least some of the time in the previous week. This persisted even when restrictions on social gatherings were eased slightly. People aged 18-44 are more likely to have felt lonely at least some of the time than those aged 45+.
Source: YouGov
Methodology: Web panel survey. Total sample size is c. 1000 adults each week. Fieldwork undertaken from 28 July onwards, weekly. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all Scottish adults (aged 18+) in terms of age, gender, social class, region and level of education . Previous trends on this measure were taken from Ipsos Mori surveys, which had a smaller sample size (c500-650) and were representative of Scottish adults (aged 16-74) in terms of age and gender. In July the questions were transferred to a YouGov survey to consolidate our data collection across Scottish Government teams and research needs.
There are consistently high levels of trust in the Scottish Government.
Since mid-May, the proportion of people who said they trusted the Scottish Government to work in Scotland’s best interests, in Ipsos MORI surveys was between 73% and 79%. This is now measured by YouGov survey using the same question and with a similar measure, and was 66% at the last wave. During the pre-election period this question is not asked. It is currently 60%
Evidence suggests consistently high levels of trust in the Scottish Government which has decreased slightly since mid- march, around 60% people have said they trust the Scottish Government a great deal/quite a lot to work in Scotland’s best interests.
Source: YouGov
Methodology: Web panel survey. Total sample size is c. 1000 adults each week. Fieldwork undertaken from 28 July onwards, weekly. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all Scottish adults (aged 18+) in terms of age, gender, social class, region and level of education . Previous trends on this measure were taken from Ipsos Mori surveys, which had a smaller sample size (c500-650) and were representative of Scottish adults (aged 16-74) in terms of age and gender. In July the questions were transferred to a YouGov survey to consolidate our data collection across Scottish Government teams and research needs.
1 in 5 employees are worried about the threat COVID-19 poses to their job.
People who are employed were asked how worried they are about the impact of COVID-19 on their job. 19% report a perceived 'high' or 'very high' threat to their job.
The measures introduced to control the spread of COVID-19 have involved the shutdown of many parts of the economy. Recent waves of data collection show that a fifth perceive a 'high' or 'very high' threat to their job.
Source: YouGov
Methodology: Web panel survey. Total sample size is c. 1000 adults each week. Fieldwork undertaken from 14 July onwards, weekly. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all Scottish adults (aged 18+) in terms of age, gender, social class, region and level of education . We previously presented analysis on a similar measure from a different source. Since the sources are not directly comparable we are only showing newer data from YouGov.
The number of people saying they are concerned about people contracting or spreading COVID-19 on public transport remains high.
There has been a consistently high number of people saying they are 'very' or 'fairly' concerned about people contracting or spreading COVID-19 on public transport. This peaked during the inital lockdown period in 2020 at 82%. At the most recent measure, collected during late October/early Novermber 2021, 66% of people agreed with this.
There is a high level of concern about people contracting or spreading COVID-19 when using public transport, and about being able to observe physical distancing on public transport. Women demonstrate consistently higher concern about people contracting or spreading the virus on public transport than men - this may reflect that women typically have less access to a car than men, and are more likely to be more reliant on public transport, particularly buses. Some people have more access to alternatives to public transport than others. Households with a higher income are more likely to have access to a car or a van. People from lower income households are more reliant on public transport and active travel e.g. walking. Considering whether a journey is necessary, whether active travel is an option, and whether a journey could be made on public transport at non-peak times of day, could reduce the risk posed to those who need to use public transport at specific times.
Source: Transport Scotland Public Attitudes Survey
Methodology: Telephone survey
Business turnover in March is at a similar level to the same month last year.
All Industries
Manufacturing and Services
Services industries
In March, Scotland's business turnover index was 49.7. This indicates that, on balance, turnover is at a similar level in real terms to March 2020.
It should be noted that this will still be lower than pre-pandemic levels in February 2020, due to the sharp drop that occurred in March 2020 when the first lockdown began.
Source: Scottish Government
Methodology: The Monthly Business Turnover Index is an experimental statistics release. It is based on data from the ONS Monthly Business Survey and Retail Sales Inquiry. It reports the net balance of firms reporting increasing or decreasing turnover, in real terms, compared to 12 months ago. Values below 50 indicate that more companies are showing decreased turnover than increased turnover.
Scotland's GDP grew 0.8% in November 2021.
Scotland's GDP grew 0.8% in November 2021 and is 0.6% above its pre-pandemic level in February 2020.
Latest data shows Scotland's GDP grew 0.8% in November 2021 with broad based growth across the Services (0.5%), Production (1.7%) and Construction (3.6%) sectors. In November 2021, Scotland's GDP was 0.6% above its pre-pandemic level in February 2020, having been 22.4% below in April 2020 during the national lockdown.
Source: Scottish Government
Methodology: Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the broadest and most widely used measure of economic activity. Changes in GDP over time are estimated using information about the output of each industry across all sectors of the economy. Monthly GDP estimates are experimental statistics, which means that they are still in development but have been released to enable their use at an early stage. All results are provisional and subject to relatively high levels of uncertainty. Further information can be found at www.gov.scot/gdp.
Scotland's unemployment rate was 3.6% in September - November 2021.
In September - November 2021, Scotland's unemployment rate was 3.6%. This was down 0.8 percentage points on the previous quarter and down 0.8 percentage points over the year.
The unemployment rate continues to compare well against historical trends, however the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme supported around 3% of employments at the end of September 2021. Based on the Labour Force Survey, the unemployment rate for women is 2.9% and for men is 4.3%. Based on the Annual Population Survey, the unemployment rate for young people (16 to 24 years) is 10.4% in Oct 2020 - Sep 2021.
Source: Scottish Government
Methodology: The unemployment rate shows the proportion of the economically active population (age 16 years +) who are unemployed (seeking work and available to work).
Scotland's Claimant Count was 145,400 in December.
In December, Scotland's Claimant Count was 145,400. This decreased by 2.1% over the month and is 28% higher than in February 2020.
The Claimant Count measures the number of people claiming benefits principally for the reason of being unemployed. In December, Scotland's claimant count was 145,400.
Source: Scottish Government
Methodology: The Claimant Count data is experimental and includes those claimants of Universal Credit who are required to search for work, i.e. within the Searching for Work conditionality regime as defined by the Department for Work & Pensions, as well as all Jobseekers Allowance claimants.