Limiting the working week to 48 hours would benefit more than 250,000 Scots, Scottish Labour has said.

The party has launched the policy proposal as part of its newly published industrial strategy.

Scottish Labour are urging both the Scottish and UK Governments to consider limiting the working week to 48 hours after the country leaves the European Union.

European rules already limit the working week to 48 hours but successive British governments have chosen to opt out the agreed threshold.

Labour say the UK should use employment powers coming from Brussels after Brexit to set a limit.

The party's economy spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said: "There are opportunities that come from Brexit that is the return of certain regulations and powers to the UK.

"We would like to see, in the context of the economy changing anyway - automation is a thing, flexible working is increasing - we want to make sure that we get a good work-life balance for people but we also address the needs of the economy, and with automation the nature of work will change.

"We need to embrace that change, so we want to open a dialogue with businesses to talk about opportunities there that Brexit will provide and the EU working time directive is one of them."

She added: "This is about answering the Scottish Government, who currently seems quite happy to bumble along when the economy is just so important.

"They have no industrial strategy; they have no answer to some of the challenges that lie ahead."

In response to the strategy's, SNP MSP Ivan McKee said: "Scotland's economy has just posted growth figures four times the UK level while unemployment is at record low levels and we remain a top destination for foreign investment, all of which Labour fail to recognise.

"The SNP will work with anyone to support growth in our economy, better jobs and new opportunities but on STEM, financial technology, a modern manufacturing sector and the importance of regional investment, Labour are simply playing catch up.

"The biggest contribution Labour could make would be to end their ridiculous support for the Tories' policy of dragging Scotland and the UK out of the single market and the customs union which would be disastrous for jobs, investment and living standards - and Kezia Dugdale must make clear whether Scottish Labour MPs will stand up for our membership of the single market or sign up with the Tories."

Scottish Conservative shadow economy secretary Dean Lockhart said: "Labour simply do not have the right to dictate to those people what hours they should and shouldn't be working.

"These restrictions have been tried elsewhere, and they've been shown to damage the economy."