Commenting on the news that Scotland’s unemployment levels have fallen by 15,000 in the three months to February 2017, Liz Cameron, Chief Executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said:

“It is good news that Scottish unemployment has continued on a downward track.  Despite ongoing economic uncertainty, businesses are continuing to show confidence in creating employment opportunities and investing for the future.

“The long-term challenge for our governments at Holyrood and at Westminster is to ensure that Scotland’s businesses have access to the right talents to grow their businesses in the future.  This planning ahead involves skills at every level and must consider the needs that can be met from the domestic market and where businesses need to look overseas for the talent they require.

“Scotland has a strong focus on getting young people into employment through projects such as the successful Developing the Young Workforce scheme and Skills Development Scotland’s growing family of apprenticeship models, including the exciting Foundation Apprenticeship, for those still at school.

“Where Scotland’s businesses need, greater support is in re-training existing staff and in getting older workers out of unemployment and back into work.  We also need rapid progress from the UK Government on a deal to secure the future of EU workers in Scotland and progress towards defining what the country’s future migration strategy will look like.  Such clarity will be crucial in enabling businesses to plan for the future and invest with confidence.”