Why is this Purpose target important?
The benefits of economic growth should be enjoyed across the whole of Scotland. At present, differences in income, participation and growth across Scotland act as a drag on our collective economic performance and potential. By addressing the low participation rates of our worst-off regions, we will release the economic potential of all Scottish people and reduce the cost of poor performance to the whole of Scotland.
What will influence this Purpose target?
Cohesion, as measured by participation rates, can be influenced by:
- Boosting the demand for jobs in those regions where participation rates are particularly low.
- Improving business and investment conditions in the worst-off regions.
- Addressing the local bottlenecks to increase the capacity and willingness of individuals in the worst-off regions to enter and stay in the labour market.
What is the Government's role?
The Government can influence cohesion in Scotland through actions such as:
- Learning, skills and well-being: remove any barriers that stand in the way of all individuals participating in learning, skills development; and realising their potential in the workplace.
- Equity: greater priority given to more balanced growth across Scotland. This could include replacing the Council Tax with a fairer Local Income Tax.
- Effective government: to support local employability partnerships as part of Community Planning Partnerships to improve participation in their most deprived areas through provision of services to meet individuals' needs and those of the local labour market.
How are we performing?
The employment rate in Scotland varies considerably by local authority area. The difference between the best performing 3 local authority areas and the 3 worst performing local authority areas has generally reduced over the last 10 years. The difference increased by 0.8 percentage points between 2006 and 2007.
Source: 2001-2003 data are taken from the Annual Labour Force Survey. Data from 2004 onwards are taken from the Annual Population Survey. The data for 2004 onwards are based on the calendar year whereas data prior to this is based on seasonal years (Mar-Feb) so there is a discontinuity in the series.
Methodology
This evaluation is based on: any difference in the gap within +/- 1 percentage points of last year's figure suggests that the position is more likely to be maintaining than showing any change. A decrease in the gap of 1 percentage points or more suggests that the position is improving; whereas an increase in the gap of 1 percentage points or more suggests the position is worsening.
For information on general methodological approach, please click here.
Further Information
2007 Spending Review Technical Note
Statistics Topic Page