The Scottish employment rate stands at 74%,  still above that of the UK and almost all countries within the EU. Those looking for work over the three-month period, not necessarily on benefit, represent 7.1% of the workforce.

Separate figures published by the Scottish government show that in almost a fifth of all households no-one was working. Statistics from 2008 revealed that 17.3% of households were classed as workless - meaning there were no adults of working age in employment though the figure varied across the country. In Glasgow the number of workless households was 28.9%, in Aberdeenshire it was 9.2%.

The 2008 figures also show that 13.7% of children across Scotland - almost one in seven youngsters - were living in workless households, but in Glasgow this rises to 24.5% of children.