In Scotland, the unemployment rate was 4.9%, up 0.8% on the last quarter and 1.6% on the previous year.
The ONS also provides figures for those who are “economically inactive”, which it defines as “people who are unemployed and have not looked for work in the past four weeks and/or are unable to start work in the next two weeks”.
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For the UK as a whole, this figure was 22.1% in the last quarter, down 0.1%, while in Scotland it was 23.3%, up 0.6%.
However, the UK figure rose by 0.8% over the 12-month period, higher than the 0.4% in Scotland.
In the period March to May 2024, the highest unemployment rate was in the East Midlands (5.6%) and the lowest was in Northern Ireland (2.0%).
The Office for National Statistics said average regular income growth fell to 5.7% in the three months to May – down from 6% in the previous three months and the lowest since the quarter ending September 2022.
Taking into account the inflation rate in the Consumer Price Index, regular earnings rose by 3.2%, the highest level since the three months ended August 2021.
The Office for National Statistics also warned that employment was slowing, with the number of job vacancies falling by around 30,000 to 889,000 in the quarter to June.
Liz McQueen, director of economic statistics at the ONS, said: “Earnings growth in cash terms, while remaining relatively strong, is showing signs of slowing again.
“However, with inflation falling, it is at its highest rate in more than two and a half years in real terms.
“We continue to see some signs of a slowdown in the labour market overall, with weaker payroll growth over the medium term and unemployment gradually rising.
“Job vacancies fell across most sectors, led by retail and hospitality. The total has now fallen for two full years, although it remains above pre-pandemic levels.”
Deputy First Minister and Minister for the Economy and Gaelic Language Kate Forbes said: “While people continue to struggle with the ongoing impacts of the cost of living crisis, this data shows strong earnings growth. Average monthly wages were £2,413 in June 2024, up 5.2% on last year.
“This outpaced inflation and average monthly wages across the UK, putting more money back into the pockets of Scottish workers, while our claimant rate was lower than the UK as a whole. An additional 14,000 workers entered paid employment over the year, putting the number of registered employees in Scotland at 2.47 million in June 2024 – the highest level on record.
“The Prime Minister has made clear that boosting growth is a key priority and we welcome the new UK government’s commitment to sustainable economic growth as well. I look forward to working constructively with UK ministers to achieve this.
“But growth also needs people with the right skills and experience, and key sectors of the Scottish economy are still being hit by Brexit and the loss of freedom of movement.
“While we will continue to work closely with businesses and industry to give more people who are currently economically inactive more opportunities in training and work, and address existing skills gaps in our current population, we also need more people to come to live and work in Scotland. That’s why we’ve launched the Migration Scotland Service to attract workers with the right skills.”
Scotland Secretary Ian Murray said: “These worrying figures reflect the economic situation this government has inherited, but we are wasting no time in delivering change for people across the UK.
“Just this week, in the King’s Speech, the government outlined a package of bills to unleash growth and deliver the biggest advance in workers’ rights in a generation.
“We want to create more jobs in Scotland – but more importantly, we want to create good jobs, with safe working hours and fair pay. That’s why resetting the relationship between the two Scottish governments, working together and delivering better outcomes for people in Scotland, has been a priority for me and the Prime Minister.”