Kate Forbes

The figures indicate that output is now back above the pre-pandemic level of February 2020 for the first time, by 0.6%.

Output in the services sector, which accounts for around three-quarters of the economy, grew by 0.5% in November, with increases in nine of the fourteen subsectors.

At the broad level, output in consumer-facing services was flat in November (0.0% growth), and health, education and public services output fell by 0.1%, while output in all other services increased by 0.9%.

Output in the production sector, which accounts for around 16% of the economy, grew by 1.7% in November. There was growth in three of the four subsectors, including growth of 1.7% in the manufacturing subsector.

Output in the construction sector, which accounts for around 6% of the economy is estimated to have grown by 3.6% in November.

In the three months to November, GDP is estimated to have grown by 1.3% compared to the previous three month period (June - August). This reflects a slight pickup in growth during the fourth quarter so far, relative to the increase of 1.0% in Quarter 3 (July to September).

Economy secretary Kate Forbes said: “This is fantastic news for the Scottish economy, with Scottish GDP estimates now above pre-pandemic levels. It reveals the fundamental underlying strengths of the Scottish economy, despite the many challenges of Covid-19.

“While we know our economic recovery remains fragile – not least due to the recent necessary public health measures introduced in response to the omicron variant – we can be confident that these latest GDP estimates signal a return to pre-pandemic levels which is extremely encouraging.

“The Scottish Government remains firmly focused on supporting our economy to fully recover and that is why we are working with businesses to invest in growth.”