Talking-up Scotland

In November 2018, unemployment in Scotland was at 3.6%, down 0.2% on the previous quarter and below the figure for the UK as-a-whole, of 4%. Should that 3.6% be rounded up to almost 4%, making the level the same across the UK, as BBC’s Graham Stewart insisted to me, on rail fares, is normal practice?

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/regionallabourmarket/january2019

This aligns with other good news on employment reported here:

New Moray Wind Farm to create ‘hundreds of local jobs’ as Scottish wind power breaks records

Have Scottish Government’s Small Business Bonus rates enabled up to seven in ten private sector jobs?

‘The number of finance jobs in Scotland grew by nearly 7% in the past year. That’s a faster pace than any other part of the UK’ says BBC Scotland (!)

Scotland’s has two ‘unicorns’ and digital tech sector jobs are up 8%

More real evidence of economic strength: number of Scots getting permanent jobs has ‘risen sharply.’

UK wages rise at fastest rate but still slower than in Scotland

Wages growing faster in Scotland than in non-Scottish parts of the UK

80 000 lowest paid workers in NHS England still on poverty wages as NHS Scotland follows Scottish Government policy to pay a living wage to all public-sector employees

Further evidence of better employment practices in Scotland