During the three month period, the estimated unemployment rate among people aged 16 and over remained unchanged at 4.1%.

The Scottish government said HMRC estimates showed 2.4 million payrolled employees in Scotland in January 2022. That was 14,000 more than pre-pandemic levels in February 2020.

Richard Lochhead, employment minister, said: “Despite a period of further economic uncertainty due to the spread of Omicron, the Scottish government is firmly focused on doing all we can to seize our economic potential and build an economy of secure, sustainable and satisfying jobs.

“That is why the 2022-2023 Scottish Budget will invest an additional £68.3m in employability and training to help businesses address skills shortages and help build a fairer, more prosperous economy for everyone.”

Throughout the three months to December, the highest employment rate estimate in the UK was in the East of England (79.1%); the lowest employment rate was in Northern Ireland (70.7%).

The largest change in the employment rate compared with the same period last year was in Wales, with an increase of 2.2 percentage points; the largest decrease in the employment rate was in the South East, at 0.8 percentage points.