Hundreds more workers join company payrolls in West Lothian Falkirk

Office for National Statistics data shows an estimated 87,892 people in West Lothian were on company payrolls in December. That was 719 more than in November – the highest increase since records began in 2014. The figure was also up from 83,923 in December 2020 and was above pre-pandemic levels – 86,530 workers were recorded on company payrolls in December 2019.

The number of workers on UK payrolls also jumped by a record 184,000 month-on-month, to 29.5 million.

An estimated 74,337 people in Falkirk were on company payrolls in December, 694 more than in November – the second-highest ever increase. The figure was up from 71,753 in December 2020 and was above pre-pandemic levels of 73,896.

Separate figures published by the ONS also show there was a fall in the number of people claiming unemployment benefits in West Lothian last month.

Around 3,865 people were on out-of-work benefits as of December 9, down by 2,275 from the month before. It meant 3.3 per cent of the area's working population sought support in December.

In the Falkirk local authority area there was also a fall in the number of people claiming unemployment benefits last month. Around 3,820 people were on out-of-work benefits as of December 9, down by 1,995 from the month before, leaving 3.7 per cent of the area's working population seeking support.