Scottish unemployment: Jobless total rises by 16,000 By SCOTT MACNAB Published on Wednesday 15 February 2012 11:31 SCOTLAND'S jobless total has surged back to its recession level peak as 16,000 more people joined the dole queue. Unemployment rose to 231,000 in the last three months of last year, official statistics showed today. Scotland's unemployment rate is still higher than the UK as a whole, with 8.6 per cent of Scots not in work compared to 8.4 per cent. The number of people in work has also fallen by 20,000 to 2.45 million. While the unemployment total includes people who are out of work but not eligible for benefits, the latest statistics showed a slight drop in the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance. This fell by 200 in January to 141,200. However this is still 1,500 more than the same time last year. Over the period October to December last year 2,458,000 Scots were in employment - 28,000 less than the same quarter in 2010. Scotland Office Minister David Mundell said the "disappointing" figures showed that "there are many challenges ahead for the Scottish and UK governments." He added: "Each number we see today is not merely a statistic; it is an individual or family directly affected by unemployment. That is why we are determined to do all we can to create the right conditions for the private sector to create long-term, sustainable jobs. To help address this, he said Scottish Secretary Michael Moore would chair a national convention on youth employment in Dundee next month, which he claimed would bring together ministers from both the UK and Scottish governments, employers and the "many organisations involved in supporting young people into work." There were 102,000 16 to 24-year-olds out of work over the period October to December 2011 - a figure which includes 85,000 18 to 24-year-olds. However, the employment rate for young people was higher north of the border than for the UK as a whole. Among 16 to 24-year-olds, it was 52.9 per cent in Scotland, compared to 50.2 per cent for the UK. The employment rate for 18 to 24-year-olds north of the border was 59.4 per cent, compared to 56.5 per cent. The overall employment rate is also slightly higher in Scotland, at 70.7 per cent compared to 70.3 per cent for the UK. Finance Secretary John Swinney said the latest jobless figures made clear that "we need further sustained action to support Scotland's economic recovery." However, he added: "The Westminster Government has failed to come forward with the stimulus of increased capital spending to get growth and confidence back into the UK economy. That is why the Scottish Government delivered a budget for growth, passed last week by the Scottish Parliament, which boosts public sector capital investment, takes action to tackle unemployment and, in particular, youth unemployment, and enhances economic security. Mr Swinney said the Scottish Government had committed an extra £30 million to try to tackle youth unemployment, on top of the £2 billion already invested in providing opportunities for young people. He argued: "We cannot allow the recovery we are building in Scotland to be blown off course by the UK Government's ill-judged economic policy."