Scotland's labour market showed little sign of strengthening in the autumn, with new job adverts falling and more than a fifth of businesses reporting difficulty recruiting, official figures published on 4 November show.

The Scottish Government's Labour Market Insights report for November 2026 found 47,985 new online job adverts in Scotland in September 2026 — 550 fewer than a year earlier, a fall of 1%. Office for National Statistics (ONS) data also showed an estimated 22.5% of businesses reported difficulties recruiting in September.

Pay and younger workers

Real median earnings for payrolled employees grew by 0.4% over the year to June 2026. Payrolled employee growth over the year to September 2026 was largest among workers aged 65 and over, 35 to 49 and 18 to 24, with the 65-and-over group seeing the largest percentage growth.

Employment rates for 16 to 24-year-olds remained the lowest of any age group, a pattern holding since 2005 to 2006.

People out of work

Most unemployed people in Scotland had been out of work for less than six months — an estimated 61.7% of those aged 16 and over in July 2025 to June 2026. Long-term sickness or disability remained the main reason for economic inactivity, cited by an estimated 33.7% of inactive people aged 16 to 64, down from 35.2%. Of those inactive, 18.2% said they wanted to work, a higher share than a year ago.

The Scottish Government's No One Left Behind programme has supported 111,300 people since April 2019.

The figures come with greater uncertainty than usual: the ONS survey sample for Scotland has shrunk since funding for a local boost ended, and an ONS operational error affected data collection in May and June 2026. The Scottish Government says the estimates remain appropriate to use, with that uncertainty in mind.

Sources: Scottish Government, Scotland's Labour Market Insights: November 2026, published 4 November 2026; ONS Labour Force Survey / Annual Population Survey and ONS Business Insights and Conditions Survey, as reported in the gov.scot release.