News story

Scottish Secretary comments on latest Labour Market Statistics

The latest ONS employment figures are published today [18 May 2021].

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack

Commenting on the latest Labour Market Statistics, Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said:

Throughout the pandemic, the UK Government has acted decisively to protect lives and livelihoods in Scotland and across all parts of the UK. Supporting jobs through our furlough scheme and the additional £14.5bn in funding for the devolved Scottish Government.

While there are encouraging signs in today’s figures, there is no doubt that challenges continue and that our shared focus must be on getting people back into work, businesses back on their feet, and our economy growing.

As the success of the UK Government-funded vaccine programme continues, recovery from the pandemic must remain our sole priority.

Published 18 May 2021