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Based on the information available, since the implementation of the more stringent Fair Work First grant conditionality, requiring public sector grant recipients to pay their workers the real Living Wage and provide appropriate channels for effective voice, Fair Work First has been applied to over 2400 grants across the public sector, at a total value of over £2.5bn (between July 2023 and March 2024.)

A list of each and every organisation awarded public sector grant funding is not held centrally. However, further detail on the number and value of grants awarded by individual public bodies will be published by end September on the Fair and Inclusive Workplaces webpage:  Fair and inclusive workplaces - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Fair Work First in public procurement is distinct from the application of Fair Work First in grants. Each public body is accountable for its own decisions in relation to procurement, including when it is appropriate to include Fair Work requirements in tendering exercises.

The latest annual report on procurement activity in Scotland covering 2021-22 showed that 101 public bodies awarded a combined total of 1,645 regulated contracts containing a scored Fair Work criterion during the period. Based on information from 95 public bodies a combined total of 2,016 unique suppliers committed to paying the real Living Wage in the delivery of regulated contracts awarded.

The Scottish Government is funding Peer Works to deliver the productivity programme set out in the 2023-24 Programme for Government. Formerly called Productivity Clubs, Peer Works has been delivered by Prosper in partnership with the Scottish Government since 2019.

The aim of Peer Works is to start or accelerate organisations along a productivity journey by providing practical peer-to-peer support and knowledge sharing opportunities. There are currently over 2,600 members, and over 700 members have participated in events over the last year. A range of case studies can be found here: Peer Stories - Peer Works.

The Peer Works programme exists to support the needs of micro and small organisations. An evaluation survey indicated that nearly half of attendees in 2023-24 had not received advice or support in managing their business from any other source in the previous six months. Furthermore, 99% of respondents found the Peer Works events and activities useful and 47% made improvements to their business as a direct result of participation.

The Scottish Government publishes monthly reports on the Scottish economy at:

Economic briefs and bulletins - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

A report was not published in June 2024 due to the pre-election period for the UK General Election.

The primary source for measuring Scotland’s inward investment performance is through Scottish Development International’s (SDI) annual inward investment results on behalf of the Enterprise Agencies.

SDI tracks the number of planned and safeguarded jobs associated with supported inward investment projects (Foreign Direct Investment and inward investment from the Rest of the UK).

The average number of planned and / or safeguarded jobs recorded per inward investment project (Foreign Direct Investment and inward investment from the Rest of the UK) in each of the last five years was as follows:

2018-19: 93

2019-20: 53

2020-21: 58

2021-22: 68

2022-23: 99

SDI results form part of a suite of indicators used to measure Scotland’s inward investment performance. The latest EY Annual Attractiveness Survey (2024), which excludes intra-UK investment, shows Scotland’s strong track record of attracting inward investment continuing, featuring as the top performing part of the UK outside of London for the ninth year.

The primary source for measuring Scotland’s inward investment performance is through Scottish Development International’s (SDI) annual inward investment results on behalf of the Enterprise Agencies.

SDI’s annual inward investment results show that the proportion of projects from companies headquartered in the Rest of the UK (excluding Scotland) over the past five years is as follows:

2018-19: 31%

2019-20: 40%

2020-21: 31%

2021-22: 33%

2022-23: 28%

SDI results form part of a suite of indicators used to measure Scotland’s inward investment performance. The latest EY Annual Attractiveness Survey (2024), which excludes intra-UK investment, shows Scotland’s strong track record of attracting inward investment continuing, featuring as the top performing part of the UK outside of London for the ninth year.

Responsibility for measuring Scotland’s annual inward investment performance rests with Scottish Development International (SDI) on behalf of the Enterprise Agencies. SDI reports for the financial year 2022-23, of the 8,533 jobs generated in Scotland, 2,629 were created or secured through supported inward investment projects with UK headquartered businesses across 23 supported inward investment projects.

SDI results form part of a suite of indicators used to measure Scotland’s inward investment performance. According to the latest EY Annual Attractiveness Survey (2023), Scotland’s strong track record of attracting inward investment continues, with Scotland maintaining its position as the top performing part of the UK outside of London for the eighth year.

We are currently delivering Calls 1, 2 and 3 of the Scottish Industrial Energy Transformation Fund. A decision on potential future funding rounds will be taken once the 2025-26 budget allocation is confirmed. £8.8 million is allocated in 2024-25.

The Scottish Government recognises that certainty of funding is critical to allow Local Employability Partnerships to plan provision effectively and to provide security for the people accessing services through No One Left Behind. That is why the Scottish Budget 2024-25 sets out our commitment to explore future multi-year funding for employability. We will be working to determine the detail underpinning this commitment in the coming months.

The Scottish Government fully appreciates the hard work and dedication of partners in Scotland around delivering employability services which support a reduction in child poverty levels and support those facing structural barriers to enter into and sustain employment. Discussions are continuing to finalise allocations, with funding being released as decisions are taken to ensure activities in agreed areas can proceed as soon as possible.

The global transition to net zero offers enormous economic opportunities for Scotland. Our Green Industrial Strategy will set out how the Scottish Government will help businesses and investors to realise these opportunities. We will confirm when our Green Industrial Strategy will be published in due course.