Scottish labour productivity sees 1.1 per cent rise year-on-year

Compared to the previous quarter, labour productivity is estimated to have grown by 0.4 per cent in 2019 Quarter 1, following growth of 0.2 per cent in the previous quarter, according to data announced this week by Scotland’s Chief Statistician.

The rise in productivity is still behind the 1.5 per cent increase on average per year between 1998 and 2007, with the financial crisis and recession in 2008 outlined as having had a long-term impact on the economy.

Since 2007 there has been an average rate of around 1 per cent a year.

There was also a rise of 0.5 per cent in the total number of hours worked between the first quarter in 2018 and that in 2019, although total hours remain behind 2007 levels.

This publication also includes estimates of output per job and current price productivity measures (not adjusted for inflation). Experimental estimates of labour productivity by industry are also available online.