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Scottish cities

Unemployment rate for population aged 16 and over, selected Scottish cities, 2004-2023
Chart showing unemployment rates in Scottish cities from 2004 to 2023. From 2008, the unemployment rates rose steeply in Scotland and all of the selected Scottish cities. However, since 2012 this measure of unemployment has reduced across all cities. In Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Scotland, rates were rising again between 2022 and 2023. 

The highest rate in 2023 in the cities shown was in Dundee, where there was a 9.8% unemployment rate. The rate in Glasgow was 4.3%, slightly higher than the Scottish average of 3.6%.

Notes

These unemployment estimates are model-based and subject to sampling variability. The unemployment rate shown is the unemployment count as a percentage of the economically-active population aged 16+.

The unemployment count included all people aged 16+ without a job who were available to start work in the two weeks following their interview and who had either looked for work in the four weeks prior to interview or were waiting to start a job they had already obtained.

This page was updated in February 2025. 

Further reading under ‘Unemployment’