Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government published an economic analysis in January 2014 illustrating the potential impact of increasing Scotland’s female participation rate to levels seen in countries such as Norway and Sweden. The results are outlined in a document entitled Childcare and Labour Market Participation - Economic Analysis, and can be accessed using the following link:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Economy/Childcare-and-Female-Labour-Market-Participation

The results published in the above report indicate that if Scotland’s female participation rate reached Swedish levels, output could rise by up to 1.7% (£2.2 billion) and tax revenues by 1.5% (£700 million) in the long run.

The Scottish Social Services Council publish information on an annual basis on the size and composition of the childcare and day-care of children workforce in Scotland.

The Annual Population Survey provides the preferred measure for detailed labour market information for subsets of the population in Scotland. The latest data covers the period from October 2012 to September 2013.

The proportion of all women, aged 16+, employed on a permanent full-time, permanent part-time basis, non-permanent full-time and non-permanent part-time basis.

Proportion of all women by permanent/non-permanent and full-time/part-time status

Source: Annual Population Survey, October 2012 to September 2013, Office for National Statistics

Notes:

1. Proportions based on female population aged 16+, in employment

2. Rates are calculated on unrounded figures

3. Estimates exclude those who gave no response to the question

4. Non-permanent jobs cover those working for an employment agency, doing casual type of work, doing seasonal work or working under contact for a fixed period or fixed task.

The Annual Population Survey provides the preferred measure for detailed labour market information for subsets of the population in Scotland. The latest data covers the period from October 2012 to September 2013.

Female employment rate by qualification:

Source: Annual Population Survey, October 2012 to September 2013, Office for National Statistics

Notes:

1. Rates based on female population aged 16-64

2. Rates are calculated on unrounded figures

3. Rates for all excludes those who didn’t know or didn’t answer

The latest Gross Domestic Product statistics for Scotland, covering the period July 2013 to September 2013, show that total output in the economy grew by 0.7 per cent compared to previous quarter. The services sector, which accounts for nearly three quarters of the economy, grew by 0.7 per cent during the latest period. The production sector grew by 0.6 per cent, and construction grew by 0.7 per cent.

The latest labour market statistics, published by the Office for National Statistics, show that the employment rate in Scotland was 72.7% and increased by 2 percentage points over the year to the period September 2013 to November 2013. This increase was driven by an increase in the female employment rate of 3.3 percentage points, and an increase of 0.7 percentage points in the male rate over the same period.

An employment rate is calculated by dividing the number of people in employment by the total population (employed, unemployed and economically inactive). It is therefore not possible to calculate employment rates for industry sectors since those who are unemployed or economically inactive cannot be allocated to an industry sector.

The Annual Population Survey provides the preferred measure for economic inactivity rates for small cohorts of the population in Scotland. The latest data covers the period from October 2012 to September 2013.

The rate of economically inactive mothers by number of children is shown in Table 1 and the rate of economically inactive mothers by age of youngest dependent child in Table 2.

Table 1: Economic inactivity rates¹ for mothers by number of dependent² children

Source: Annual Population Survey, October 2012-September 2013, Office for National Statistics.

Notes:

1. Rates based on population aged 16-64.

2. Dependent children are children aged under 16 and those aged 16 to 18 who have never-married.

Table 2: Economic inactivity rates¹ for mothers by age of youngest dependent² child

Source: Annual Population Survey, October 2012-September 2013, Office for National Statistics.

Notes:

1. Rates based on population aged 16-64.

2. Dependent children are children aged under 16 and those aged 16 to 18 who have never-married.

3. Analysis is based on age of youngest child to avoid double counting of mothers with multiple children.

The Annual Population Survey provides the preferred measure for employment rates for small cohorts of the population in Scotland. The latest data covers the period from October 2012 to September 2013.

The employment rate of mothers by number of children is shown in Table 1 and the employment rate of mothers by age of youngest dependent child in Table 2.

Table 1: Employment rates¹ for mothers by number of dependent² children

Source: Annual Population Survey, October 2012-September 2013, Office for National Statistics.

Notes:

1. Rates based on population aged 16-64.

2. Dependent children are children aged under 16 and those aged 16 to 18 who have never-married.

Table 2: Employment rates¹ for mothers by age of youngest dependent² child:

Source: Annual Population Survey, October 2012-September 2013, Office for National Statistics.

Notes:

1. Rates based on population aged 16-64.

2. Dependent children are children aged under 16 and those aged 16 to 18 who have never-married.

3. Analysis based on age of youngest child to avoid double counting of mothers with multiple children.

We are in regular contact with stakeholders to gather feedback on a range of factors that impact on demand for college places. The impact of the childcare plans set out in ‘Scotland’s Future’ will be assessed and factored into projections for demand ahead of implementation.

We are in regular contact with stakeholders regarding our plans for childcare.

For example, as part of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill, the Scottish Government has worked with a range of stakeholders to assess the capacity of the childcare sector and its readiness to deliver proposals in the Bill around early learning and childcare, including the more recent offer to extend 600 hours to around 27% of two year olds by August 2015.

An evidence paper was produced in-house to inform the 2012 Women's Employment Summit. The paper provides a comprehensive overview of the evidence on key issues related to women's employment. It highlights that accessible, affordable and flexible childcare is fundamental to women’s participation in work and training. The paper is available at:

http://www.employabilityinscotland.com/media/294295/8_-__women_s_employment_summit_evidence_paper.pdf

The Council of Economic Advisers considered the economic and social importance of improving childcare provision in Scotland at their meeting on 30 August 2013. The council’s discussion was informed by a presentation by Professor Ailsa McKay on the economic and social importance of access to childcare. The minutes of this discussion are available at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Economy/Council-Economic-Advisers/Meetings/30-08-2013

The analysis informing the council’s deliberations will be reflected in the annual Chair’s Report of the Council of Economic Advisers. It is anticipated that the chair’s report will be published in Spring 2014.