UNEMPLOYMENT figures in Scotland have remained largely stable for about half a year, but wages have continued to lag behind soaring inflation.

The statistics have prompted demands for the UK Government to step up support for struggling families amid the cost of living crisis. 

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the unemployment rate for those aged 16 and over was 4.1% between October and December last year, which is the same figure as the previous quarter.

There was a slight decrease in the employment rate for those aged 16 to 64, which was 74.1% in the latest data, down 0.5% on the period of August to October.

This was lower than the UK employment figure for the same age group, which remained at 75.5%, while the unemployment rate for over-16s was the same level – 4.1% (up from 4.2% on the previous quarter).

Overall, total pay growth in the UK rose to 4.3% for the quarter to December – from 4.2% for the three months to November – but continued to lag behind inflation, which soared to a near 30-year high of 5.4% in December.

The ONS said this means that real wages fell once you adjust for inflation over the quarter.

It comes as people ace mounting pressures from a cost of living crisis which is expected to worsen soon, with energy bills set to surge in April.

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford commented: “Today's ONS figures, showing real pay fell by 0.8%, underline the concerns the SNP has about poor wage growth in the past decade of Westminster control.

“The Tory cost of living crisis is spiralling out of control. The Chancellor must deliver meaningful support to boost incomes.”

He added: “The SNP has called on the UK Government to introduce a Real Living Wage for years – but they refuse. Rishi Sunak must finally listen. He must also reverse Tory cuts to Universal Credit, match the Scottish Child Payment UK-wide and turn his energy loan into a more generous grant.”

Meanwhile, Employment Minister Richard Lochhead said “early estimates” from HM Revenue and Customs show there were 2.4 million payrolled employees in Scotland in January 2022, some 14,000 more than in February 2020, prior to the pandemic.

He commented: “Despite a period of further economic uncertainty due to the spread of Omicron, the Scottish Government is firmly focused on doing all we can to seize our economic potential and build an economy of secure, sustainable and satisfying jobs.

“That is why the 2022-2023 Scottish Budget will invest an additional £68.3m in employability and training to help businesses address skills shortages and help build a fairer, more prosperous economy for everyone.”

READ MORE: Kate Forbes announces measures to alleviate cost of living crisis in Scotland

ONS head of economic statistics Sam Beckett said overall across the UK, the number of employees on payrolls rose again in January and is now well above pre-pandemic levels.

He said the number of people in employment overall is below where it was before Covid-19 hit due to there being far fewer self-employed people.

“The survey also shows that unemployment has fallen again and is now only fractionally above where it was before the pandemic,” Beckett said.

“However, over the same period, nearly 400,000 people, mostly the over-50s, have disengaged from the world of work altogether and are neither working nor looking for a job.”

Sunak commented: “Our £400 billion economic plan has protected our jobs market through the pandemic and it is now healthier than most could have hoped for.

“Payrolled employee numbers are at a record high and redundancies are at an all-time low thanks to our plan for jobs.

“We’re continuing to help more people into work and are providing support for the cost of living worth over £20bn across this financial year and next.”

The National: Chancellor Rishi Sunak speaking at a press conference in Downing Street, London. Picture date: Thursday February 3, 2022. PA Photo. The cost of living crisis was laid bare as the Chancellor has been forced to step in to offset a nearly 700 spike in

SNP work and pensions spokesperson David Linden MP called on the Chancellor to "get a grip" on the cost of living crisis.

His party is urging the UK Government to turn its £200 energy loan into a more generous grant, reverse the £1040 Tory cuts to Universal Credit, match the Scottish Child Payment, and bring in a Real Living Wage.

The SNP also pointed to a £4bn tax cut for banks announced as party of Sunak's Budget in October.

Linden said: “Under the Tories at Westminster, wage growth has been dismal, and we now know real wages are not expected to reach 2008 levels until at least 2026. This crisis has been a decade in the making and the Tories haven’t lifted a finger.

"Indeed, UK poverty is rising because of Tory cuts, regressive tax hikes and the huge cost of Brexit. Rising inflation, energy bills and prices are compounding this and pushing families into hardship and destitution.

“The SNP government in Scotland is doing what it can with its limited powers to put money into people's pockets by mitigating the bedroom tax and progressive policies like the Scottish Child Payment. However, Westminster takes it away again with cuts and regressive tax hikes – making the case for independence."

He added: "It is vital that the Chancellor take his head out of the sand and bring forward meaningful action instead of the £200 loan that will only push more people into debt and ploughing ahead with a tax cut for bankers worth £4bn."