Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to page 49 of Scotland’s Economic and Fiscal Forecasts, published by the Scottish Fiscal Commission in December 2021, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of the increase in PAYE employees between February 2020 and October 2021 being substantially lower in Scotland than other regions and nations in the UK.

In July 2020, the Government launched the Plan for Jobs to protect, support and create jobs across the country. As demonstrated in the Plan for Jobs Progress Update, it is clear that the plan is working.

This includes the Kickstart Scheme, which funds jobs for young people at risk of long-term unemployment, to improve their chances of progressing into long-term and sustainable work. As of 5th December, around 112,000 Kickstart jobs have been started by young people across Great Britain, of which 9,730 were in Scotland.

In addition to Kickstart, the Youth Offer provides a guaranteed foundation of support to 16- and 17-year-olds on in the Intensive Work Search group on Universal Credit in Great Britain.

The Job Entry Targeted Support Scheme (JETS) provides personalised support to those in Great Britain who have been unemployed for 3-12 months. So far, JETS has supported over 176,000 jobseekers across England, Scotland and Wales, with over 43,000 job outcomes achieved.

JETS support is worth around £1,000 per claimant.

Additionally, over 910,000 jobs have been protected by the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) in Scotland since March 2020.