Scottish unemployment falls for 3rd month in row It is the third month in a row that unemployment has fallen and there are now 206,000 Scots out of work. The Scottish unemployment rate is 7.7 per cent, which is just below the average of 7.8 per cent for the whole of the UK. Youth unemployment has also fallen by 28,000, the biggest drop since 2006 and the Scottish rate is now 18.4 per cent compared to 20.6 per cent in the UK. But today's figures show that the number of people in work has also fallen by 11,000 over the three months from October to December last year. The number of those in employment in Scotland now stands at 2,461,000. Scottish Secretary Michael Moore said: "It is also encouraging that 5,200 fewer people are claiming Job Seeker Allowance compared to one year ago. The government continues to work hard to reduce unemployment by laying the foundations for a stronger, more balanced economy. Last month I co-chaired the first meeting of the Scottish Employability Forum at in Edinburgh. The Forum brings together the UK Government, Scottish Government, COSLA, key stakeholders and delivery bodies with the remit of finding workable solutions to counter long term unemployment in Scotland. Scotland's jobless total fell by 25,000 over the year, today's figures show. Economic Activity fell by 23,000 over the quarter and now stands at 2,667,000. The Economic Activity rate decreased over the quarter to stand at 76.7 per cent. Finance Secretary John Swinney said: "This is the third set of monthly unemployment figures in a row that have shown a fall. What's more, the fall in youth unemployment is particularly encouraging. But we must not be complacent - too many people are still looking for work, and the Scottish Government is taking action to address this by maintaining the most competitive business environment anywhere in the UK and investing in our infrastructure.