Labour market update: July 2026

July 21, 2026 SPICe Economy & Finance Comments Off

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Labour market update infographic for July 2026 showing Scottish labour market indicators for March to May 2026. Three columns compare unemployment, employment and economic inactivity.
Across the UK, horizontal bar charts rank nations. Unemployment: England 5.0%, UK 4.9%, Scotland 4.7%, Wales 4.3%, Northern Ireland 1.8%. Employment: England 75.4%, UK 75.1%, Scotland 74.3%, Wales 73.0%, Northern Ireland 72.1%. Economic inactivity: Northern Ireland 26.5%, Wales 23.6%, Scotland 21.8%, UK 20.9%, England 20.5%.
A row of trend charts shows Scotland over the last five quarters. Unemployment rises from 3.4% in Mar to May 2025 to 4.7% in Mar to May 2026. Employment changes slightly from 74.9% to 74.3%. Economic inactivity changes from 22.4% to 21.8%.
A row of donut charts shows results by sex. Women: unemployment 3.7%, employment 72.5%, economic inactivity 24.7%. Men: unemployment 5.8%, employment 76.3%, economic inactivity 18.7%.
A final row of bar charts shows age groups in Scotland. Unemployment is 15.2% for ages 16 to 24, 5.5% for 25 to 34, 2.9% for 35 to 49, and 2.2% for 50 to 64. Employment is 53.6%, 84.2%, 84.1% and 69.0% respectively. Economic inactivity is 36.8%, 10.9%, 13.3% and 29.4% respectively. Data source: Office for National Statistics labour market statistics, July 2026.

Sources: UK Labour Market: July 2026 and Labour market in the regions of the UK: July 2026

For constituency-level labour market statistics, please visit the labour market in Scotland dashboard.

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Fraser Murray