NEW figures released earlier this week show more young people in Scotland are in employment than in the rest of the UK.

According to data from the Scottish Government, the estimated employment rate for 16-24-year-olds in Scotland is 56.9 per cent compared to 53.7 per cent in the rest of the UK.

Overall there are 4,700 more young people in employment in Scotland this year, and over 300,000 young people in work in Scotland.

This shows that despite the Tory-cost of living crisis, this SNP Scottish Government is delivering for young people.

With more young people in Scotland securing employment opportunities than previously – and in higher numbers compared to their counterparts in the rest of the UK, it's clear the support and opportunities being provided by the SNP are having a positive impact.

Yet while the Scottish Government continues to enhance employment opportunities and widen access to positive destinations, the austerity-obsessed Tory UK Government has stolen away opportunities from young people with their reckless pursuit of Brexit.

Brexit isn’t just impacting the futures of our young people though – it continues to negatively impact our economy and key sectors such as hospitality and social care.

In fact, it’s been so bad for the UK that even the pro-Brexit former member of Boris Johnson’s cabinet, George Eustice MP, has stated: “The flaws in our current so-called skills-based immigration system are becoming clearer by the day because we have got a policy that does not correspond to the needs of our economy.”

Eustice went on to admit that EU workers are needed to plug the gaps in the labour market, stating: “We are not allowing people to come here to work in sectors like the food industry, even though there are acute labour shortages in these sectors, and that is contributing to inflation.”

Eustice went even further and said that Rishi Sunak’s government should begin bilateral negotiations with EU nations to secure young Europeans under 35 the right to two year visas to work in this country.

These damning comments underline what the SNP have been saying for years: the UK Government must urgently commit to undertaking an assessment on the damage that Brexit has caused to labour market shortages.

I have constituents who’re hugely impacted by staff shortages in our health and social care sector and it’s time that the UK Government faced up to the fact that Brexit has played a significant part in this problem.

Whilst leading Brexiteers are finally admitting the failures of leaving the EU, both the Tories and pro-Brexit Labour are wedded to the same damaging policy and refusing to acknowledge the harm it is causing.

At the next election, only the SNP are offering voters an alternative through independence – which will offer the people of Scotland a route back into the EU and boost our economy.