Commenting on the announcement that Scottish unemployment has risen by 6,000 to 234,000 in the three months to January, Liz Cameron, Chief Executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce said:
'These are once again disappointing figures for Scotland, particularly as the gap between the Scottish rate of unemployment, now 8.7%, and the UK rate of 8.4% is widening. With most projections showing that unemployment in Scotland may rise further during the course of 2012 with economic growth remaining weak, it is clear that the Chancellor's focus for his budget must be on jobs and growth in the private sector.
'The split between the public and private sectors in clear: last year 16,000 jobs were lost from the public sector in Scotland whereas total private sector employment increased by 7,800. If Scotland is to tackle the problem of growing unemployment then government must look to provide the private sector with the support it needs to boost job creation. That is why Scottish Chambers of Commerce are calling on the Chancellor to make next week's UK Budget a budget for employers, with targeted measures aimed at supporting our growing businesses and their supply chains.
'2012 looks like being another lean year, but private sector employment is headed in the right direction and with the right support, business can create the jobs Scotland needs.'
