In the late 1980s and early 1990s, unemployment was a consistent problem in Scotland. Unemployment in school leavers was particularly high, as well as among older workers; many of the prime work force was forced to move away from the area to find work. Things were so bad, that the poverty line was reached, and crossed, by many individuals and families. Social Services were spectacularly underfunded, and unemployment benefit was the lowest in the UK, meaning many families were split apart, as those of a working age, left Scotland to seek work elsewhere.

Some wise decisions were made to combat this problem, instead of feeding more money into social services, providing a short term solution at best, funds were made available to re-train the work force, and sweeping educational reforms were made, facilitating easy access to a high quality education for almost anybody who wished it. For almost a decade, Scotland’s unemployment figures continued to astound the western world, inner city crime rates climbed, as did drug abuse, alcohol abuse and violent crime statistics. It wasn’t until the end of the 1990s that Scotland began to turn things around. The new work force found jobs within the finance industry, which was proving to be a major employer in the area, and the growing tourism industry did much for the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The situation in Scotland is much improved in this day and age; unemployment figures sit lower than they have for almost 30 years, certainly since the grim days of the 1980s recession. The diversity of new industries that are employing Scotland’s smart new work force will ensure that the same situation never arises again.