EMPLOYMENT in low carbon and renewables is up by more than a third.

The number of workers in Scotland employed in the low carbon and ‎renewables sector rose to 58,500 in 2015 – up from an indicative 43,500 in 2014.

The sector generated a turnover of £10.5 billion, which is 14 per cent of the total UK sector, the Office of National Statistics numbers show.

In addition, Scotland represented 48 per cent of the UK’s employment in the onshore wind industry, and 53 per cent of its turnover.

As regards low carbon electricity generation 33 per cent of the UK’s employment is in Scotland.

Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy, Paul Wheelhouse MSP, said: “These are impressive figures that show how the Scottish Government’s focus on decarbonising ‎our energy system has not only allowed us to meet our climate change obligations, and to have done so early, but it has also significantly boosted the Scottish economy."