The unemployment rate in Scotland has risen in the last quarter, it has been revealed. 

Data from the Official for National Statistics shows that the unemployment rate for people aged 16 and over was 4.7% between February and April this year.

This was 0.4% up on the previous quarter and above the UK-wide unemployment rate of 4.4%.

The figures show that 130,000 people in Scotland were out of work between February and April, up from 120,000 in the quarter before.

READ NEXT: Anas Sarwar hits back at John Swinney's Labour spending cuts claims

The employment rate for people aged 16 to 64 was 73.1%, which was 1.3% down on the previous three-month period. This was below the UK-wide employment rate of 74.3%.

In Scotland, there were 2,509,000 people in that age group in employment, down from 2,511,000 in the quarter before that.

READ NEXT: 'I've been on the streets since October': the people looking for a home

Kate Forbes, Deputy First Minister and Economy Secretary, said: “Despite ongoing cost-of-living pressures, Scotland’s labour market shows resilience, with data from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) showing 12,000 more payrolled employees in May 2024 compared with a year ago, while our claimant count rate was lower than the UK as a whole.

“The First Minister has been clear that driving economic growth is a key priority for the Scottish Government.

“That is why we are investing over £5 billion to grow the economy between 2024 and 2025.

“Ministers are committed to working with public and private partners – and constructively across parliament – to maximise the huge economic opportunities that lie ahead.”