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| Scotland's jobless total falls by 40,000 | Scotland's jobless total falls by 40,000 |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Unemployment in Scotland fell by 40,000 between June and August to stand at 151,000, according to official figures. | Unemployment in Scotland fell by 40,000 between June and August to stand at 151,000, according to official figures. |
| It was the biggest quarterly fall in Scottish unemployment since records began. | |
| The Scottish jobless rate is now 5.5%, which is below the rate of 6% for the whole of the UK. | The Scottish jobless rate is now 5.5%, which is below the rate of 6% for the whole of the UK. |
| The Office for National Statistics (ONS) data also showed employment increased by 35,000 to stand at 2,611,000. | The Office for National Statistics (ONS) data also showed employment increased by 35,000 to stand at 2,611,000. |
| UK unemployment fell by 154,000 in the quarter to August to just under two million. | UK unemployment fell by 154,000 in the quarter to August to just under two million. |
| The number of people claiming Job Seeker's Allowance in Scotland rose slightly by 300 from August to 91,100 in September. The figure is down by 30,500 on a year ago. | |
| Meanwhile, separate figures showed that the Scottish economy expanded by 0.9% during the second quarter of 2014, and grew by 2.6% on an annual basis. | Meanwhile, separate figures showed that the Scottish economy expanded by 0.9% during the second quarter of 2014, and grew by 2.6% on an annual basis. |
| 'Very welcome news' | |
| The UK government's Scottish Secretary, Alistair Carmichael, said the two sets of figures showed that Scotland was "moving in the right direction." | |
| He added: "The biggest quarterly fall in Scottish unemployment since records began and confirmation that Scotland's economy has now grown for two consecutive years is very welcome news. | |
| "This year we have seen new record high levels of employment and today marks another record high, with more Scottish women in employment than ever before. | |
| "Challenges remain as the rise in the number of Scots claiming Jobseeker's Allowance shows. | |
| "This, however, comes off 18 consecutive months where the number has fallen and there are 30,500 less Scots claiming Jobseeker's Allowance than one year ago." |