 The number of unemployed increased by 12,000 |
Unemployment in Scotland has increased despite a fall across the UK as a whole, new figures show. The number of people out of work went up by 12,000 between September and November to 137,000.
Across Britain, the jobless total fell by 29,000 over the same period to 1.67 million.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures also showed the highest number of people in work in Scotland since records began in 1992.
The number of people in employment in the three months to the end of November reached a new high of 2.48 million up by 13,000 over the quarter and by 14,000 over the year.
The unemployment rate of 5.2% is still lower than the figure for London and most of the English regions.
 |  Under this Labour and Lib Dem Government Scotland continues to trail behind the rest of the UK |
Claimant count figures for the number of people out of work and receiving Jobseeker's Allowance showed a fall of 900 to 85,400 in December 2006.
The Scotland Office said the Scottish employment rate remained near the historic high at 75.3% and continued to be above that of the UK and almost all countries within the EU.
Secretary of State for Scotland Douglas Alexander said: "The reported rise in unemployment has to be seen in context of the current strength of the Scottish labour market.
"This data shows that we cannot be complacent about the health of the Scottish Labour market."
SNP enterprise spokesman Jim Mather MSP said: "Under this Labour and Lib Dem Government Scotland continues to trail behind the rest of the UK with lower wages, a relatively high unemployment rate, rising inflation and an increasing number of economically inactive people who do not want to work.
"That's why the SNP has set out proposals such as reducing or completely removing business rates for three out of four businesses in Scotland to boost growth, competitiveness and create jobs."
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