Sunday Herald Holyrood Hustings This week the parties debate Jobs and the economy

David Cameron and George Osborne were elected to office in 2010 on a pledge to tackle Britain’s so-called ‘debt crisis’. However, as a result of deep spending cuts, growth has been anaemic and Osborne has consistently missed his debt and deficit reduction targets.

Osborne boasts of a ‘jobs-fuelled’ recovery. In fact, he has presided over an explosion of insecure, low-wage work. He promised a ‘march of the makers’ but has singularly failed to rebalance the economy away from the City of London and towards industrial manufacturing. Under Osborne’s stewardship, the trade deficit has grown, in-work poverty has deepened, and levels of private and household debt are back at their pre-crisis levels.

RISE proposes spending three per cent of Scottish GDP over a 10 to 15 year period on the creation of 100,000 new green jobs. These jobs will be high-wage and geared towards developing the next generation of green technology that will form the basis of Scotland's future infrastructure.

RISE also supports the introduction of a £10 per hour minimum wage for all workers over the age of 16. This will help end the blight of poverty pay.

Finally, RISE is unequivocal in its support for Scottish trade unions and calls for an end to all Thatcher-era anti-trade union laws. Strong trade unions and properly paid workers are vital to the success of any economy and to the happiness of any country.

Monica Lennon, Scottish Labour Party

The single most important economic investment any government can make is in education.

That’s why Labour’s election campaign has been relentlessly pushing that simple message that we will use the new powers of the Scottish Parliament to tax the richest 1% so we can invest in schools and stop the cuts to public services.

The independent experts at the Scottish Parliament Information Centre say Labour’s plan could generate billions more for GDP and mean hundreds of millions more in tax revenue.

Investing in education to cut the gap between the richest and the rest in our classrooms isn’t just about making Scotland a fairer country, it’s about giving our people the skills they need to compete for the jobs of the future.

Other parties will tell you the only way to create jobs and grow the economy is to cut taxes.

That argument went out of fashion in the eighties with crimped hair and shoulder pads. We can’t aspire for an economy like Denmark with tax rates like Dallas.

The new powers mean we can do things differently. Rather than be a conveyor belt for Tory cuts we can stop the cuts.

This fundamentally comes down to what sort of economy we want to have, not just next year but in the next ten years. There is no future for Scotland as a low wage, low skill economy, but the only way to change that, so Scotland can lead the industries of the future is to invest in education now.

John Swinney, SNP Finance Secretary and Deputy First Minister

Protecting jobs and growing the economy will always be a top priority for the SNP.

In government during the last nine years we have used all the powers available to us to make sure the country’s economy has been as robust as possible in the face of global economic turbulence.

And we have had real successes. Exports have grown, particularly among our burgeoning food and drink sector, while we remain the top UK destination outside London and south-east England for overseas investment.

Scotland has regularly outperformed the rest of the UK on jobs, with the number of people in employment in Scotland teaching an all-time high under the SNP, while our female employment rates are among the very highest in Europe.

The SNP Government has also been quick to step in when jobs are threatened, such as when we recently took decisive action to save Scotland’s threatened steel industry.

Meanwhile, our small business bonus has provided a huge boost to smaller firms, saving them around £1 billion in total so far. We plan to extend the scheme to lift 100,000 companies out of business rates altogether, while also reviewing the wider business rates system to make sure it supports growth and jobs.

If re-elected, we will also introduce a new jobs grant for those aged 16-24, while taking wider action to support the economy, including investment in transport infrastructure, delivering 100 per cent superfast broadband coverage for Scotland and cutting air passenger duty by half over the course of the next parliament.

Murdo Fraser, Scottish Conservatives

A STRONG economy which grows jobs is our priority. Not just because we need to ensure young people have the promise of a job but also so that we have the tax revenues to pay for good public services and the social infrastructure we all rely upon.

That is all the more important at this election because of the new financial powers coming to Scotland. The benefits of increased tax revenue won't go to George Osborne – they will go direct to the Scottish Government.

So we have extra incentive to get this right.

For us that means ensuring that income tax is no higher here than in the rest of the UK. The Scottish Chambers of Commerce says this is vital if we are to prevent a brain drain of talent to south of the border.

It also means a freeze in business rates so firms can invest in their businesses and afford to employ a new apprentice, not have money disappear to central government.

We also need to make Scotland the skills capital of Europe – by boosting college places, creating 10,000 more apprenticeships and developing new skills academies where young people can get specialised training.

We believe these measures will ensure Scotland is an attractive place to do business, so we can compete with the rest of Europe.

The new era of Scottish devolution requires us to grow the cake in Scotland – not just debate how we divide it up. As a strong opposition at the Scottish parliament, we want to make that case and ensure we all benefit.

Willie Rennie, leader Scottish LibDems

Our Liberal Democrat plan will give employers a well-trained and healthy workforce. Business will have the opportunity to build links with schools, colleges and government to shape the way sector skills are taught.

Businesses and workers can’t wait on the SNP any longer.

In tough times we need bold measures so that people can gain the skills they need to get on in the workforce.

This is what Liberal Democrat plans to invest £108 million in our colleges will deliver. We will reverse the college cuts imposed by the SNP. This is a big step towards closing the skills gap. One in five firms say they can’t get the skilled staff they need.

Research has shown that business loses 673,000 working days a year from employees with mental health problems. We will transform mental health care to treat more people, more quickly, getting them back to good health and productivity.

Business needs government to deliver superfast broadband to every place in Scotland. This will be particularly good for small businesses in more remote parts of Scotland, opening access to new markets for their products.

Business needs its voice to be heard when we review business taxes, and make sure changes are fair and help us be the best again.

Business needs certainty. That’s why the Conservatives’ referendum on the EU is so damaging. And why the SNP’s hunt for a second independence referendum is another risk. These two parties put their own interests ahead of the success of the economy.

David Coburn, leader Ukip Scotland

UKIP wants talented Scots to stay in Scotland, growing their businesses and employing their fellow Scots.

This can only be achieved through having a business friendly environment and competitive taxes. UKIP will restore incentives for entrepreneurs by cutting taxes and unnecessary red tape.

Business rates are a great burden on companies and especially so on new start-ups where they represent a disproportionately high fixed cost. Having business rates disproportionately high creates an unnecessary barrier for businesses who want to set up in Scotland and results in a flight of capital and jobs to cheaper parts of the UK. The effect of high business rates ripple through the economy and acts as a deterrent to investment.

A UKIP government would lower business rates in Scotland allowing companies to reinvest the money back into growing their business and creating jobs.

Massive over-regulation by the European Union impacts disproportionately on smaller business. Fewer than one in ten British businesses trade with the EU, yet 100 per cent of them must comply with thousands of EU laws. This burden can be overwhelming for small firms.

UKIP will repeal EU regulation and directives that stifle business growth. Only by leaving the EU will the Scottish and UK parliaments have the power to repeal laws introduced by the EU.

UKIP is the only Party in Scotland which is campaigning to leave the European Union. Only UKIP can ensure that Scotland votes to leave the EU along with the rest of the UK.

Patrick Harvie, co-convenor and economy spokesperson Scottish Greens

Greens want a different kind of economy, where success is measured not by GDP alone but by better health, security, happiness and fairness. Scotland can do this but we need a bolder Holyrood prepared to invest in the future.

Government handouts to multinationals based on spurious job numbers don't build a truly healthy economy; Green MSPs will press for government resources to support ethical businesses, social enterprises and high quality employment. We’ll also support employee ownership. Workers should be in the driving seat to help develop new products and services.

Although Holyrood isn't getting a full range of welfare and employment powers due to Labour's intransigence, Holyrood must be bold with the powers we do have.

With the failed economic model creating insecurity and inequality, and the economic risk of relying on an unburnable resource, the need for a post-oil jobs plan is urgent. Other parties bury their heads in the sand, pretending that business as usual will last forever, but Greens are looking to the future. Our report, Jobs in Scotland's New Economy, shows how to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs - more than currently provided by fossil fuels. We must reject austerity, challenge the vast subsidy we give Big Oil, and instead invest in areas like housing, renewables and decommissioning - an opportunity we risk losing to overseas firms if we don’t act.

Our economy faces challenges but there are also huge opportunities. A bolder Holyrood with more Green voices will ensure we don't miss them.