# General > Politics >  Good economic performance in Scotland

## rob murray

Todays announcement on the economy makes great news, labour market statistics showed employment in Scotland increased by 14,000 to 2,624,000 during the quarter.The number of people claiming Job Seeker's Allowance (JSA) fell by 1,200 from April to 76,300 in May 2015. Wages have risen 2.2%, 

 Did any of the above have anything to do with Holyrood ? Or choke choke choke...is the UK delivering, the government ( UK )  currently holds the much wanted levers of economic control as far as I see it ???? Would FFA have improved on this upward spiral ? We will never know ?

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## rob murray

A deathly silence........................

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## BetterTogether

Rob,I deliberately didn't reply in the hope someone else would step up to the mark and join the debate.I find it hard to believe the SNP can claim any credit for the current improving economic performance within the whole country, much as it might Irk some you can't really deny that the Conservatives seem to have the Union as a whole on a path that is improving its finances, reducing debt, increasing wages, reducing unemployment across the whole Union.

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## rob murray

> Rob,I deliberately didn't reply in the hope someone else would step up to the mark and join the debate.I find it hard to believe the SNP can claim any credit for the current improving economic performance within the whole country, much as it might Irk some you can't really deny that the Conservatives seem to have the Union as a whole on a path that is improving its finances, reducing debt, increasing wages, reducing unemployment across the whole Union.


Yep....a deathly silence...the economy is doing well.....with no input from holyrood and the scottish government..........I mean is that not what Swinney et all wanted / FFA  ie " control of the levers of power"..................what for, we are doing fine enough, as for FFA, again see the thread I started on Oil.....by definition Sturgeon has accepted prevailing industry wisdom of a 60 / 65 dollar ceiling and  hence the need to operate profitably within this cost structure, even if that can be achieved ( and it will ) tax revenues fall far short of their ( SNP )  forecasst, thats a fact, shows how fiscally thick they are and the information on oil price / costs of exraction is comming from the front line operators...so the SNP cannot deny this....now no doubt they will shout...Oil is a bonus......aye right !!!!!!! .Sturgeons already at the blame game ie westmister should give tax credits / incentitves for further exploration but see the Oil thread.

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## BetterTogether

The other part that doesn't surprise me is the sudden threats of Industrial Action by unions as the industry attempts to change to fit current circumstances. 

No doubt there are some offshore workers who could throw more light as to what is actually going on and why the shift changes and longer stays seem so unreasonable. 

At face value it appears to the layman as an industry desperately trying to remain profitable in the face of a global slump in oil prices and the Unions expecting everything to stay the same. 

I stand to be corrected if that view is way off the mark.

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## BetterTogether

Another interesting article

http://www.thinkscotland.org/thinkpo...cotland.orgOil, 


Financial service and the public sector are Scotland three biggest employers.

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## rob murray

Yep makes dpressing reading......Scotland is the third richest part of the UK after London and the South East. However because it has such a* large public sector the private sector, as a percentage of GVA, is 8th out of 12 entities*. Further, Scottish GDP is highly concentrated around three sectors, *oil, financial services and public spending*. The former is in cyclical and structural decline. Financial service companies are uneasy over increasing separation from the rest of the UK and there remains a risk of slow migration away from Scotland from this critical sector if constitutional uncertainty remains.

The possibility of independence has already created uncertainty in the financial services sector, with significant companies drawing up plans to relocate their headquarters, negatively impacting upon the scottish economy


So a country with aspirations of independence with  declining oil jobs and revenues, an over reliance on the public sector as an employer ( funded by tax payers....less tax revenue...either make cuts..lose jobs or "borrow"...if anyone would lend them the dough / at very high % rates ! ) and a financial sector that has unequivically said withdrawal from Scotland will mean  relocating headquarters and job cuts..... and these fiscal clowns want FFA / independance....give it to them .....with this scenario we will be Greece without the sun

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## BetterTogether

You also have to ask the question on whether the public sector would be required to be as large as it is in an independent Scotland.
How many of those Public services are sections which provide coverage for the entire UK Not just Scotland so if the country had become Independent would a scythe of had to be run through those drastically reducing its size.

Which would be another hammer blow to the rationale for independence.

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## RWB

> Todays announcement on the economy makes great news, labour market statistics showed employment in Scotland increased by 14,000 to 2,624,000 during the quarter.The number of people claiming Job Seeker's Allowance (JSA) fell by 1,200 from April to 76,300 in May 2015. Wages have risen 2.2%,


genuine questions ...

if the labour market increased by 14000, then why did JSA claimants only fall by 1200 ?  

i know these 'new' employees can't all have been on JSA, but even out of 1200, how many claimants have had their JSA stopped because of sanctions ?

how many of the 14000 will be seasonal workers ?

and exactly whose wages have risen by 2.2% ?

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## rob murray

> genuine questions ...
> 
> if the labour market increased by 14000, then why did JSA claimants only fall by 1200 ?  
> 
> i know these 'new' employees can't all have been on JSA, but even out of 1200, how many claimants have had their JSA stopped because of sanctions ?
> 
> how many of the 14000 will be seasonal workers ?
> 
> and exactly whose wages have risen by 2.2% ?


New new entrants to labour market are appanently predominatly female return to work who wre e not on JSA, sanctions...you make a good point...... wage increases, complex to answer but it will be an aggregate figure as used to demonstrate rising productivity hence the ability to pay wage increases which given the rate of inflation are real rises with average weekly earnings up by 2.2 per cent this is- the quickest growth rate for nearly four years. Economists had expected growth of 1.9 per cent.According to records, the private sector, particularly construction workers, saw much of the growth

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## RWB

hmmm...  sounds like some figures have been gently massaged 

1200 less JSA claimants will mean more desperate people at the food banks and while my pay rise (or lack of) will help lower the national average, the MPs 10% increase will help raise it

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