This indicator measures the gap between Scotland’s employment rate and the rate of the top performing country in the UK. Find out more about this indicator.

Last year, in Q4 2020, Scotland had an employment rate of 73.4%, compared with England, whose employment rate of 75.1% was the highest of the 4 UK countries. The gap between these rates was therefore -1.7 percentage points.

Scotland’s employment rate has increased over the year to 74.1% in the latest quarter (Oct-Dec 2021) and is the second lowest of the 4 UK countries. England (with the highest rate of the 4 UK countries) has an employment rate of 75.9%, giving a gap of -1.7 percentage points.

So over the year, the gap has shifted by 0.1 percentage points to Scotland’s detriment.

Please note that figures for change over the year and gap between Scotland and England are based on unrounded figures.

• In Q4 2020, the gap between Scotland’s male employment rate (75.0%) and England’s (78.5%) was -3.5 percentage points. In Q4 2021, Scotland’s male employment rate had increased over the year to 76.2% while England’s had increased to 79.3%. The gap has narrowed to -3.2 percentage points, a decrease of 0.3 percentage points.

• In Q4 2020, the gap between Scotland’s female employment rate (71.9%) and England’s (71.7%) was 0.2 percentage points. In Q4 2021, Scotland’s female employment rate had increased over the year to 72.2% while England’s had increased to 72.4%. This represents a change of 0.4 percentage points to Scotland’s detriment, with Scotland’s female employment rate now lower than England’s by 0.2 percentage points.