Question reference: S5O-02418
- Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 19 September 2018
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Current status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 27 September 2018
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it anticipates the economy will perform in 2019.
Answer
The Scottish Government is focused on building on Scotland's strong economic foundations, supporting businesses to stimulate growth, jobs and investment.
The latest economic data show the Scottish economy has grown 0.8% in the first half of 2018, outpacing both the Scottish Fiscal Commission forecast and UK growth. Unemployment continues to fall, and the number of people in work is at a near record high.
However, Brexit uncertainty remains the key risk to the economic outlook for 2019, with the UK Government’s proposals for a hard Brexit and the continued risk of no deal at all, representing a key threat to our economy.