Labour market update: August 2026

August 19, 2026 SPICe Economy & Finance Comments Off

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Labour market update infographic for August 2026 showing Scottish labour market indicators for April to June 2026. Three columns compare unemployment, employment and economic inactivity.
Across the UK, horizontal bar charts rank nations. Unemployment: Scotland 5.1%, England 5.0%, UK 4.9%, Wales 4.7%, Northern Ireland 2.0%. Employment: England 75.5%, UK 75.1%, Scotland 74.0%, Wales 72.5%, Northern Ireland 72.0%. Economic inactivity: Northern Ireland 26.4%, Wales 23.8%, Scotland 22.0%, UK 20.9%, England 20.5%.
A row of trend charts shows Scotland over the last five quarters. Unemployment rises from 3.7% in April to June 2025 to 5.1% in April to June 2026. Employment changes from 75.0% to 74.0%. Economic inactivity changes from 22.1% to 22.0%.
A row of donut charts shows results by sex. Women: unemployment 4.1%, employment 72.2%, economic inactivity 24.7%. Men: unemployment 6.0%, employment 75.8%, economic inactivity 19.1%.
A final row of bar charts shows age groups in Scotland. Unemployment is 16.2% for ages 16 to 24, 6.1% for 25 to 34, 3.2% for 35 to 49, and 2.3% for 50 to 64. Employment is 52.7%, 83.2%, 84.3% and 69.2% respectively. Economic inactivity is 37.1%, 11.5%, 12.9% and 29.2% respectively. Data source: Office for National Statistics labour market statistics, August 2026.

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

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

Download data in this image

Fraser Murray