Bonny

WHEN the British economy catches a cold, Scotland often goes down with the flu. During the recession that followed the financial crisis job losses were especially severe there. But these days Scotland is surprisingly hale. Its unemployment rate stands at 7.1%, below the British average of 7.8%. And the rate of private-sector job creation north of the border over the last three years is ahead of all other parts of Britain apart from London (see chart). Has Alex Salmond, the first minister of Scotland’s devolved government, found a magic jobs formula?