By Ian McConnell
SCOTTISH economic output fell by 1.9 per cent in the first quarter, amid lockdown measures to suppress coronavirus, official figures show.
The drop was greater than a 1.5% fall for the UK as a whole in the same period. However, comparing the first quarter with the same period of last year, a 5.4% fall in economic output in Scotland was less steep than a corresponding 6.1% drop for the UK as a whole. The Scottish data do not include output from offshore oil and gas extraction, which is included in the headline UK figures, the Scottish Government noted.
The fall in first-quarter Scottish gross domestic product was driven by a 3% quarter-on-quarter decline in services output. The construction and production sectors grew by 2.6% and 1.3% respectively.
Scottish Economy Secretary Kate Forbes noted monthly data indicated the contraction during the first quarter had been “confined to January and driven by the tightened restrictions required”.
She said: “Compared to the same quarter last year our economy is 5.4% smaller, slightly less than the equivalent figure for the UK of 6.1%.”
Ms Forbes added: “As lockdown restrictions eased in April and into May, economic activity has further strengthened as businesses have resumed trading, building on growth seen in February and March and demonstrating the resilience of the Scottish economy.”
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said: “[The] figures underline the effect Covid has had on our economy, particularly due to restrictions on the services sector in the first three months of this year as we tried to control the spread of the virus.”
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