How the SNP is supporting people into employment?

The SNP is committed to investing in employability services to ensure that everyone who wants support to fulfil their potential in the labour market can access it. This will help to improve lives, reduce poverty and inequality, and transform Scotland’s economy.

Despite economic challenges, Scotland continues to have a lower unemployment rate than the rest of the UK. The SNP Scottish Government is working with business to attract jobs and investment into Scotland’s local and regional economies.

The Scottish Budget 2025-26 is continuing to invest in all age employability services delivered through our No One Left Behind approach, prioritising parental employability support and specialist support for disabled people across all 32 Local Authority areas.

Devolved employability services have a pivotal role to play in providing support. The No One Left Behind approach is about supporting people into the right job or the route that is best for their circumstances.

Statistics have shown that about 20 per cent of participants in the no one left behind programme were economically inactive at their start date but are now able to access support.

The SNP is committed to helping people remain in work and strengthening pathways into employment for those furthest from the jobs market.

The SNP Scottish Government has a long-term funding partnership with Living Wage Scotland to support the roll-out of the real living wage accreditation scheme. The number of accredited employers has increased from 14 in 2014 to more than 4,000, with at least 72,000 workers in Scotland receiving a pay rise as a direct result of their employer being accredited.

The SNP in government has made paying the real Living Wage a requirement for organisations receiving public grants, helping to increase the number of people benefiting from a salary boost.

As a result, Scotland has proportionately around five times as many real Living Wage employers compared to the rest of the UK.