A RECORD number of workers are doing part-time jobs, new figures have revealed.
The employment statistics, published yesterday, showed eight million people across the UK no longer have full-time jobs, the highest figure since records began in 1992. The number of people in part-time jobs, because they cannot find full-time work, increased by 73,000 to a record high of 1.4 million.
In Scotland, 662,000 are working part-time, a rise of 10,000 on the year to the end of September.
The number of Scots saying they took part-time work because they couldn't find a full-time alternative stood at 114,000, a rise of 15,000.
Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said the figures showed hundreds of thousands of part-time workers, eager for full-time jobs, were being denied the opportunity because of the failure of the Government to stimulate demand and growth.
The figures were revealed in a breakdown of unemployment statistics which hinted the Scottish economy was showing signs of recovery after the jobless total fell for a second month in a row.
Official figures put the number of people out of work and not eligible for benefits at 221,000 – a drop of 10,000 over the January to March quarter, but still 13,000 higher than the same period last year.
And, despite the overall decrease in the period, there has been a rise of 2000 since last month's figures.
That led Scottish TUC general secretary Grahame Smith to claim Scottish Secretary Michael Moore's welcome of a "further fall" in the statistics was "misleading in the extreme".
The Scottish figures reflect a UK trend which showed a drop of 45,000 people on the dole to 2.6million. Across the UK, the number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance last month was down by 13,700 to 1.59m.
In Scotland the figure fell by 900 from March to stand at 142,000, a rise of 3000 from April last year. At 8.2%, the Scottish unemployment rate is the same as that for the UK.
Youth unemployment for January to March is down on the previous quarter, at 94,000 instead of 102,000, but up on this quarter last year, when the figure was 76,000.
Asked whether David Cameron was concerned at the proportion of new jobs which are part-time, the Prime Minister's spokesman said: "We believe it is better people are in some form of employment rather than being out of work, because they are getting the experience and skills they need to secure a permanent job, if that is what they want."
Scottish Finance Secretary John Swinney said: "In January to March, unemployment in Scotland fell and employment increased at a faster rate than across the UK as a whole.
"This is the biggest rise in employment in Scotland since last spring but unemployment remains far too high. More capital spending is essential if we are to keep pushing jobs and recovery forward, and it is imperative the UK Government boosts infrastructure investment."
Labour spokesman Ken Macintosh said: "There is a big difference between choosing to work part time and being forced to accept part-time hours and the lower wages that come with it.
"Families used to having a full-time salary coming into the house are having to get by on part-time wages and it will be putting immense pressure on family budgets."
Liz Cameron, Chief Executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said: "The news that Scottish unemployment has fallen by a substantial figure for the second consecutive month and that employment has risen by 24,000, demonstrates that – even in the midst of tough economic challenges – Scotland's private sector is up to the task of creating jobs."
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