High Level Summary of Statistics Trend Last update: Friday, May 16, 2008
Rural Economic Activity
The chart below shows that economic activity rates (those employed or seeking work) are higher in rural Scotland than in the rest of Scotland. As such, it also demonstrates that a lower proportion of the working age population in rural areas are economically inactive (those neither in employment nor unemployed) than in the rest of Scotland. The main reasons for being economically inactive in Scotland are long term sickness or disability, being a student and looking after family.
In keeping with this, the employment rate (the number of people employed as a proportion of the total population of working age) is higher in rural Scotland than in the rest of Scotland, with higher rates of self employment in rural areas.
The chart also shows that there is a marginally lower proportion of the working age population in education or training in rural areas compared to the rest of Scotland.
Source: Annual Population Survey in Scotland 2005 and based on the Scottish Government Urban Rural Classification 2005-2006
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