New Scottish Government figures show Scotland’s economy grew by 0.6% in the three months to May 2026, the strongest three-month growth rate since the first quarter of 2025. However, the latest figures also reveal a more mixed picture for Scottish households and workers, with unemployment rising to 4.7% while online job vacancies fell sharply compared with a year earlier.
Using figures from the Scottish Government’s August 2026 Economic Bulletin, we created the tracker below to bring together some of the most important indicators for growth, jobs and pay in Scotland.
- 📈 GDP: grew 0.6% in the three months to May and was 1.2% higher than a year earlier.
- 👷 Unemployment: reached 4.7%, its highest rate in two years.
- 💷 Median monthly PAYE pay: reached £2,672, up 4.7% annually.
- 📉 Online vacancies: were 13.8% lower than a year earlier.
Scotland Economy Tracker
Explore the latest official figures for economic growth, employment, unemployment, pay and recruitment in Scotland.
📊 Economic Growth
Scotland’s growth strengthened in the three months to May, with construction recording the fastest quarterly-sector growth.
👷 Jobs & Labour Market
The labour market is more mixed. Employment improved slightly over the quarter, but unemployment and benefit claimant numbers are higher than a year ago.
💷 Pay Growth
Pay continued to rise faster than inflation in June.
🔎 Latest Scotland Economic Snapshot
What the Latest Data Says About Scotland’s Economy
The latest figures paint a mixed picture for Scotland. Economic output is growing and earnings are rising faster than inflation, but several labour market indicators have weakened.
Scotland’s GDP increased by 0.6% during the three months to May 2026 and was 1.2% higher than a year earlier. Construction recorded the strongest growth over the three-month period at 1.5%, followed by production at 1.0% and services at 0.5%.
Unemployment Has Risen to 4.7%
The labour market provides a less positive picture. Scotland’s unemployment rate reached 4.7%, its highest level in two years and 1.3 percentage points higher than a year earlier.
There were also 108,400 people claiming unemployment-related benefits, an increase of 4.3% compared with a year earlier. Meanwhile, the number of online job vacancies was 13.8% lower than in June 2025, suggesting employers are advertising fewer new positions.
Scottish Pay Is Still Growing Faster Than Inflation
One of the more positive indicators is earnings. Median monthly PAYE pay in Scotland reached £2,672, representing annual growth of 4.7%.
With inflation running at 2.6% over the same period, the Scottish Government bulletin estimates real earnings increased by 2.1%. In other words, median pay growth remained ahead of the rise in prices.
A Growing Economy With a Weaker Jobs Picture
Taken together, the figures show why a single economic indicator does not tell the whole story. Scotland entered the summer with stronger economic growth and rising real wages, while at the same time experiencing higher unemployment, fewer advertised vacancies and more unemployment-related benefit claimants.
The figures will continue to change as new GDP, employment, earnings and inflation data are released, but the August bulletin provides a useful snapshot of where Scotland’s economy stood heading into the second half of 2026.
Source: Scottish Government, Scottish Economic Bulletin – August 2026.
