Central Scotland Labour MSP Siobhan McMahon has welcomed the continued growth of Scotland’s economy but warned the Scottish Government against complacency, highlighting the significant job market challenges that the country faces.
Ms McMahon, Scotland’s new Shadow Minister for Youth and Women’s Employment, was speaking in a debate on Scotland’s economy at the Scottish Parliament on Thursday 8th January.
Whilst acknowledging recent positive economic performance and employment figures, Ms McMahon drew attention to the high underemployment rate, the continued pay gap between men and women, and the lack of flexibility in the jobs market as real challenges for the Scottish Government to face up to. She also urged the Government to consider the findings of the Smith Commission and devolve more powers to local authorities in light of their £440 million underspend in 2013/14, despite repeated complaints from the SNP administration about Westminster austerity cuts squeezing its budget.
Ms McMahon said:
“Whilst I welcome the fact that Scotland has the lowest levels of unemployment in the UK, it’s clear we still have a lot of work to do if we are going to have a jobs market that meets the needs of both women and young people.
“We still face real problems with underemployment. 58,600 people aged 16-24 are regarded as underemployed which means our country is not working to its capacity. It also means that our most valuable resource, our people, are not reaching their full potential which for me is a real tragedy
“In addition, there still remains a 17.5% pay gap between men and women in Scotland which is simply not acceptable. To address this, I believe we need more flexible working patterns and I would therefore urge the Scottish Government to produce a plan for flexible working in the public sector.
“I want to see a jobs market that works for all but without the ambition and plans to do that, I fear that that it might not be achievable given the other challenges that we face. As a result, our economy cannot reach its full potential. The Government must address that now.”
You can read Ms McMahon’s speech in full here.
Siobhan McMahon for Central Scotland 