Labour Market Statistics for 16 to 24 year olds: Scotland and the United Kingdom – January to December 2022

This publication contains the latest estimates of employment, unemployment and economic inactivity for 16 to 24 year olds. Estimates are for Scotland and the United Kingdom and cover the period January to December 2022. Data are sourced from the Annual Population Survey, first released on 15 March 2023 by the Office for National Statistics.

The Annual Population Survey is the National Statistics source for labour market indicators by region and age. National Statistics meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality and public value.

Key points

The latest ONS Annual Population Survey (APS) data are for January to December 2022. Some Government policies relating to COVID-19 were still in place during this time. The impact of these policies may be seen in the estimates.

The latest estimates for 16 to 24 year olds in Scotland show the unemployment rate has decreased over the year, the employment rate has increased and the economic inactivity rate has decreased.

In Scotland in January to December 2022:

• the estimated employment rate for 16 to 24 year olds was 57.9 per cent
• the estimated unemployment rate for 16 to 24 year olds was 9.7 per cent
• the estimated economic inactivity rate for 16 to 24 year olds was 35.8 per cent

Compared with the previous year:

• the employment rate for 16 to 24 year olds increased by 4.0 percentage points, a statistically significant change
• the unemployment rate for 16 to 24 year olds decreased by 0.5 percentage points
• the inactivity rate for 16 to 24 year olds decreased by 4.1 percentage points, a statistically significant change

Compared with the United Kingdom as a whole:

• the employment rate for 16 to 24 year olds was higher (57.9 per cent compared to 53.7 per cent)
• the unemployment rate for 16 to 24 year olds was lower (9.7 per cent compared to 10.4 per cent)
• the inactivity rate for 16 to 24 year olds was lower (35.8 per cent compared to 40.1 per cent)

Comparing men and women aged 16 to 24 years in Scotland:

• the estimated employment rate for men was lower than women (55.1 per cent compared to 60.8 per cent)
• the estimated unemployment rate for men was higher than women (11.4 per cent compared to 8.1 per cent)
• the estimated economic inactivity rate for men was higher than women (37.8 per cent compared to 33.8 per cent)