THE number of young people out of work has fallen to its lowest level for six years.

New data from the Office for National Statistics shows 72,000 16 to 24-year-olds were unemployed in the period June to August this year - a drop of 29,000 over the year and the lowest level recorded since 2008.

First Minister Alex Salmond said the statistics show Scotland "remains among the top 10 best performing countries in the EU for youth unemployment".

But Scottish Labour MSP Jenny Marra urged the government to eradicate youth unemployment altogether.

The youth unemployment rate north of the Border has fallen by 5.6 percentage points over the past 12 months, a larger drop than the UK as a whole where the fall has been 5.1 percentage points.

The wider measure of youth employment includes people who are not employed, have been looking for work for the past four weeks and are available to start work in the next two weeks. It also includes those who have found a job but are waiting to start it in the next two weeks.

The number of young people who are out of work and claiming jobseeker's allowance has also fallen by almost a third since last year. Last month, there were 20,200 young people claiming the benefit, a fall of 9,900 - or 32.8 per cent - on the total 12 months ago.

Mr Salmond said: "These figures are another positive sign that youth employment in ­Scotland continues to increase and demonstrate that Scotland's economic recovery is ongoing."

"Scotland now has a higher employment rate, lower unemployment rate and lower inactivity rate for young people than the rest of the UK."

He added: "These statistics further reinforce the position that Scotland's economy is going from strength to strength. Last week alone we had confirmation that our GDP is increasing further beyond its pre-recession peak and employment levels are the highest since records began."

Ms Marra said: "It is important that we look beyond the headline figures and ensure we have a job market that creates stable, well-paid and full-time jobs for our young workforce. The Scottish Government must ensure that the jobs being created pay the living wage and are not insecure, part time, or zero-hour contracts.

"We know that far too many people living in poverty across Scotland are actually in employment. In-work poverty must be addressed.

"That is why Labour is committed to taxing bankers' bonuses, using the money to fund a jobs guarantee for young people. This would benefit close to 3,000 young people across Scotland."

Youth Employment Secretary Angela Constance said: "Consistent growth in employment shows that the policies of the Scottish Government to create jobs and boost the economy are making progress."