The latest labour market figures have held to the trend of a strong employment rate, while continuing to illustrate a job market characterised by wages that are failing to keep pace with inflation.

In Scotland specifically, although there has been a quarterly decline in employment, the annual employment rate has increased by 1.7 percentage points, joint-second with the South East.

Scotland has also displayed the second highest annual increase in workforce jobs, by 109,000, with only the West Midlands displayed a higher figure.

Liz Cameron, Chief Executive, Scottish Chambers of Commerce said:

“For the seventh consecutive month, today’s figures show that wage growth has failed to outpace inflation, with the CPI rate of 3.1%, further biting into household disposable income.

“Vacancies are also now sitting at a record high across the UK, further emphasising the importance of continued investment into training and workforce skills, and the continued need for business to have access to a migration system that enables firms to recruit from outside of the UK when required.

“Although the Scottish employment market continues to show signs of strength, our focus is now on the upcoming Scottish Budget. It is critical that any measures put forward on Thursday recognise the existing pressures on household spending, and that policies targeted at Scottish business, at minimum, ensure a level footing with the rest of the UK.”

The Scottish Chambers of Commerce welcomes the release of the latest labour market figures, which show that the UK unemployment rate has continued to hold at the lowest level observed since 1975.

Figures for Scotland continue to be positive, with Scotland holding to or exceeding the UK average.

The estimates released today for Scotland provide a more moderate picture of jobs growth as those estimated in the previous labour market figures, but Scotland continues to display the largest increase in the employment rate outside of London.

Liz Cameron, CEO, Scottish Chambers of Commerce said:

“Today’s Labour Market figures continue to illustrate the effects of high inflation, with real wages lagging the inflation rate for several months. As several commentators have observed, there is potential for this wage squeeze to continue, with inflation predicted to peak at 3.1%.

“With inflation continuing to rise, and many industry sectors observing pay growth below 2%, the Bank of England must hold their nerve on interest rates. An increase at this point would damage consumer confidence and spending at a critical period for the retail sector.

“It is essential that the Chancellor recognises these conditions in the upcoming budget. The budget must seek to increase business investment in skills and tackle our productivity gap with a range of measures, ensuring that wages increase and that consumer spending continues to act as one of the UK economy’s key drivers.”

– More than 384,000 people passed through Edinburgh Waverley station during the second weekend of the festivals
– Increase of 8 per cent compared to the equivalent weekend in 2016
– More services, late-night trains and extra carriages compared to the regular timetable

The number of people passing through Edinburgh Waverley station during the second weekend of the August Edinburgh festivals increased by 8 per cent compared to 2016, the ScotRail Alliance confirmed today.

More than 384,000 people passed through Edinburgh Waverley station between Friday 11 August and Sunday 13 August. This is an 8 per cent increase compared to the 355,000 people who passed through Waverley during the second weekend of the festivals in 2016.

It was revealed last week that more than 340,000 people passed through Waverley during the first weekend of the festivals this year, highlighting the scale of the operation being undertaken by the ScotRail Alliance.

Customers are encouraged to plan their journeys in advance by visiting www.scotrail.co.uk, downloading the ScotRail app or buying a ticket at the station before boarding.

Highlights of the ScotRail Alliance’s August festivals programme include:

– Additional late night trains between Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Queen Street (via Falkirk High) operating daily, departing from Edinburgh at 00.01 and 00.30.
– A major increase in the number of carriages between Glasgow and Edinburgh, particularly Friday to Sunday, both via the Airdrie/Bathgate line and via Falkirk High
– Many extra carriages between Edinburgh and Fife on Friday evenings and all day Saturday and Sunday

Juliet Donnachie, station manager at Edinburgh Waverley, said:

“These figures show the scale of the operation the ScotRail Alliance is running during the Edinburgh festivals.

“Our station teams at Waverley and across the whole network are working flat out to get customers to and from Edinburgh hassle free. The festivals are a great advert for the city and the country as a whole, and we are proud to play our part in making them a success.

“We know that our trains will continue to be very busy during the festivals, so we are encouraging all customers to plan their journeys in advance.”

– First weekend of Edinburgh festivals saw 340,000 people pass through Edinburgh Waverley station
– Customers are urged to plan their journeys in advance
– More services, late-night trains and extra carriages compared to the regular timetable

More than 340,000 people passed through Edinburgh Waverley station during the first weekend of the August Edinburgh festivals, the ScotRail Alliance confirmed today.

The number of people who passed through the station between Friday 4 August and Sunday 6 August shows the scale of the operation undertaken by the ScotRail Alliance to help the festivals run smoothly.

Looking ahead to this weekend (11-13 August), the ScotRail Alliance expects this to be the busiest weekend of the festivals. Customers are encouraged to plan their journeys in advance by visiting www.scotrail.co.uk, downloading the ScotRail app or buying a ticket at the station before boarding.

Highlights of the ScotRail Alliance’s August festivals programme include:

– Additional late night trains between Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Queen Street (via Falkirk High) operating daily, departing from Edinburgh at 00.01 and 00.30.
– A major increase in the number of carriages between Glasgow and Edinburgh, particularly Friday to Sunday, both via the Airdrie/Bathgate line and via Falkirk High
– Many extra carriages between Edinburgh and Fife on Friday evenings and all day Saturday and Sunday
– An extra service running after midnight between North Berwick and Edinburgh, getting people to and from the Fringe by the Sea

The ScotRail Alliance’s Operations Director Perry Ramsey said:

“Once again Edinburgh’s festival season proves to be a huge draw for visitors coming to enjoy the events.

“We’re proud to play our part in getting people to and from Edinburgh. Where possible, we’ve cut back on any non-essential train engineering or maintenance, so that we have the maximum number of carriages available for use over this busiest weekend.

“We know that our trains will be very busy, so we are encouraging all customers to plan their journeys in advance by visiting scotrail.co.uk, downloading the ScotRail app, or buying a ticket at the station before boarding the train.

“We want everyone to enjoy their day, and smooth and safe travel to and from Edinburgh is all part of that.”

Scottish Chambers of Commerce have welcomed the news that Scotland’s unemployment level has fallen by 19,000 in the three months to May 2017, resulting in an unemployment rate of just 3.8%.

However, there are fewer people in employment and more people economically inactive in Scotland than there were a year ago, highlighting the continuing challenges facing the Scottish economy. Liz Cameron, Chief Executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said:

“It is extremely welcome that Scotland’s unemployment rate has fallen to just 3.8% in the three months to May. Whilst this is an outstanding achievement and compares very favourably to the rate of 4.5% across the UK as a whole, it is worth taking a look at some of the numbers behind the headline figure.

“Compared to this time last year, there are now 6,000 fewer people in employment in Scotland; whilst 65,000 more people are economically inactive. These numbers highlight the continuing challenge facing the Scottish economy at a time when businesses are seeking staff with the right skills to help them to succeed and grow.

“Uncertainties remain over the position of EU workers in businesses right across Scotland, and many businesses continue to report skills shortages and difficulties in being able to find the talents they need to bring to their workforce. That is why government must continue to focus on providing support for upskilling and reskilling people who are unemployed or in work, because Scottish business cannot afford to have rising economic inactivity.

“As Scotland seeks to internationalise our trade, we need skills in the likes of ecommerce, yet there is no formal university degree in this discipline, nor is there yet a government strategy that comprehends and embraces it.”