Employment in Scotland has reached a record high, with official figures showing 22,000 more people found work in the last three months of last year.

There were 2,636,000 Scots recorded as being in work in that period, making it the second consecutive month that official figures have put employment at its best ever levels.

The jobless total fell by 5000 over the quarter to 162,000.

The Scottish unemployment rate continues to be above UK levels, with 5.8% out of work, compared with 5.1%, however the Scottish employment rate, which increased to 74.8%, is also higher than the UK rate.

The figures are from the Office of National Statistics from October to December 2015.

The figures also show that youth employment in Scotland is at its rate since 2006 and that the youth inactivity level and rate also fell to their lowest October to December figures since 2006.

Cabinet secretary for Fair Work, Skills and Training, Roseanna Cunningham, marked the publication by visiting Vector Aerospace in Perth, where she was joined by deputy first minister John Swinney.

She said: "This month’s figures bring very positive news for Scotland’s jobs market.

"While some volatility remains, the highest level of people in employment since records began demonstrates that we are on the right track with continued improvement in the latest quarter.

"Rising employment and falling unemployment are very welcome and an inactivity rate of 20.5% is the lowest on record and the lowest out of the four UK nations.

"Our youth employment figures continue to be strong, out-performing the UK statistics, showing we are making progress with our commitment to better prepare young people for the jobs market.

"However, a number of significant challenges remain beneath these encouraging figures, such as the continuing low price of oil and the effect this is having on the industry and its supply chain.

"We will continue to work hard to help even more people towards jobs. We want everyone to be able to maximise their potential and that means supporting them into sustainable careers through a variety of paths."