Scotland has a population of 5.4 million, with 70% living in the central belt, between the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. Pre-Covid analysis found that in 9 out of 15 key indicators showed Scottish productivity fell behind other parts of the UK or international competitors in relation to four broad areas: business practices, skills and training, health and wellbeing and infrastructure and connectivity. The financial crisis and recession in 2008 has had a long-term impact on the Scottish economy, and in 2019, total hours worked remained below pre-recession levels.
Find out more about the historic context, key issues and future research priorities of productivity in Scotland in our insights paper, which sits alongside an executive summary: a high-level overview highlighting its productivity picture, including a scattergraph showing the disparities on a NUTS3 level in comparison with the UK average, the primary drivers and bottlenecks, a SWOT analysis and a look to the future.
Insights Paper
Executive Summary
The Institute’s Productivity Lab has developed a scorecard series, based on ITL1 level, to compare productivity performance across UK regions and devolved nations. It comprises five main regional productivity drivers, captured using 17 indicators.
Soar
Glasgow City Council
Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow
Morgan Stanley
The Scottish Government
Radiant and Brighter
Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow
Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
Scottish Council for Development and Industry
University of Glasgow
Dean of External Engagement, University of Glasgow
Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI)
Audit Scotland
