Labour Market Statistics for 16 to 24 year olds: Scotland and the United Kingdom - January to December 2023

Unemployment

Overall

In January to December 2023, an estimated 33,900 people aged 16 to 24 were unemployed in Scotland. This is 400 less than the number of unemployed 16 to 24 year olds in 2022.

The estimated unemployment rate for 16 to 24 year olds was 9.9 per cent in 2023. This was 0.1 percentage points (pp) higher than a year ago (9.7 per cent) and 1.5 pp higher than in 2019 (8.3 per cent). January to December 2019 is the last data point in the January to December series before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the United Kingdom as a whole, the estimated unemployment rate for 16 to 24 year olds was 10.4 per cent. This was the same as the year before and 0.9 pp lower than in 2019 (11.3 per cent).

Chart 3: The unemployment rate for people aged 16 to 24 in Scotland had been broadly similar to the United Kingdom rate until 2015 and since 2016 Scotland has a lower unemployment rate

Unemployment rate estimates for persons aged 16 to 24, Scotland and the United Kingdom, January to December 2004 through to January to December 2023

Source: Annual Population Survey, January to December datasets, ONS

Shaded areas represent 95 percent confidence intervals.

Unemployment by Sex

In January to December 2023, there were an estimated 19,800 unemployed men aged 16 to 24 and 14,000 unemployed women aged 16 to 24 in Scotland.

The estimated unemployment rate for 16 to 24 year old men was 11.4 per cent, the same as a year ago and 1.5 percentage points (pp) higher than in 2019 (10.0 per cent). While the estimated unemployment rate for 16 to 24 year old women was 8.3 per cent, 0.2 pp higher than a year ago (8.1 per cent) and 1.6 pp higher than in 2019 (6.6 per cent).

The estimates of unemployment for women aged 16 to 24 years in 2023 are from a small sample size. These estimates and the estimates of change in unemployment rates for 16 to 24 year olds women should be used with caution.

Chart 4: The unemployment rate for men aged 16 to 24 has exceeded the employment rate for women in all years except for 2018

Unemployment rate estimates for men and women aged 16 to 24 in Scotland, January to December 2004 through to January to December 2023

Source: Annual Population Survey, January to December datasets, ONS

Shaded areas represent 95 percent confidence intervals.

The estimate of unemployment for 16 to 24 year old women in 2023 is from a small sample size. This estimate should be used with caution.