Overview

Click on the infographic for the key facts from this indicator group. 

Please note the economic data presented currently, precedes the Covid-19 pandemic.

Employment and jobs

• Glasgow has had a higher business start-up rate than the Scottish average in recent years, although in 2017 the business survival rate after five years was only 37.5%.
• Glasgow has more jobs per resident than any other local authority in the Glasgow City Region, reflecting its position as the West of Scotland’s economic hub. In recent years, Glasgow has had a similar job density to Edinburgh, although both cities have a lower job density than Aberdeen.
• 66% of working age Glaswegians were employed in the year 2018/19, which was nearly 9% lower than in Scotland as a whole.
• Underemployment in Glasgow (reflecting the number of employees who want/need to work more) has fallen from 15% in 2013 to 9% in 2018.

Benefits

• Glasgow has consistently had a higher rate of adults claiming out-of-work benefits than other Scottish cities although that rate has declined from 29.5% in 2000 to 15% in 2019.

• Similarly, the city has had a relatively highly rate of adults claiming incapacity benefits and ESA (Employment and Support Allowance), albeit that rate has also reduced significantly (from 17.6% in 2000 to 9.8% in 2019).

Economic inactivity, worklessness and unemployment

• 30% of the working age population in Glasgow was economically inactive in 2018/19, which is considerably higher than the Scottish average.
• The ILO unemployment rate for Glasgow increased from 6.5% in 2007/08 to 12% in 2011/12, but has since decreased. The ILO unemployment rate for Glasgow was 5.8% in 2018/19.
• In 2018, 26% of households in Glasgow had no adults in employment. This figure is the highest rate among Scottish cities, within the Glasgow City Region and among UK cities.

Economic participation is recognised by economists, governments and policy makers as a key component of successful economies.  Good quality employment provides a means for individuals to gain social and economic opportunities and to contribute constructively to society.  The links between health and socioeconomic circumstance are well recognised.  The WHO (World Health Organisation) report The Solid Facts – Social Determinants of Health (2003) noted that "unemployment puts health at risk" and goes on to underline that "unemployed people and their families suffer a substantially increased risk of premature death" and that "the health effects of unemployment are linked to both its psychological consequences and financial problems, especially debt".

This section currently includes indicators of incapacity and workless benefits, economic inactivity, business start-ups, job density, employment, unemployment and underemployment.

The data on the Understanding Glasgow website comes from a variety of administrative sources and surveys, and the frequency of updates to these sources varies. The graphs and text on each page should indicate the period to which an indicator refers.  In some cases, where more recently published data is not available, we still use older published sources, such as the 2011 Census. Find out more about the timeliness of data presented on this website.

Notes

1. Many of the trends described above have been strongly influenced by the global financial crisis (which began in 2007-2008) as well as by recent welfare policy changes.  

2. These data pre-date the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.