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SCC COMMENT ON UNEMPLOYMENT FIGURES

Commenting on the news that Scottish unemployment rose by 10,000 in the three months to March, Liz Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said:

“This latest rise in unemployment puts the Scottish jobless rate above the UK average for the first time in a long while, and serves to underline the challenges facing both the new UK Government and the Scottish Government in terms of our economy.

“It is clear that the recovery so far has been fragile and, if it is to continue more strongly, clear leadership is needed to put business first. The Scottish public sector, in common with that in the rest of the UK, will necessarily have to face a drastic downsizing over the coming years. It will therefore be down to business to create the new jobs and the wealth needed to drive our economy forward. This can only be done in a sympathetic fiscal and regulatory environment and we are looking to the Scottish and Westminster Governments to work together to deliver this for Scotland.”