| Post: | Minister for Employment and Investment |
| Native Name: | Gaelic; Scottish Gaelic: Ministear airson Cosnaidh agus Tasgaidh |
| Incumbent: | Tom Arthur |
| Incumbentsince: | 8 May 2024 |
| Style: | Minister (within parliament) Employment and Investment Minister (informal) Scottish Employment and Investment Minister (outwith Scotland) |
| Appointer: | First Minister |
| Formation: | 12 November 2014 |
| Inaugural: | Annabelle Ewing |
| Reports To: | Scottish Parliament |
| Salary: | £106,185 per annum [1] (including £72,196 MSP salary) |
| Seat: | Edinburgh |
The Minister for Employment and Investment, commonly referred to as the Employment Minister is a junior ministerial post in the Scottish Government. As a result, the Minister does not attend the Scottish Cabinet. The incumbent reports to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic.[2]
As well as supporting the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic, specific responsibilities of the Minister for Employment and Investment are:
The post of Minister for Youth and Women's Employment within the Scottish Government was recreated on 21 November 2014, but had existed in the very recent past (until April 2014) under a different title. The post of Minister for Employability and Training was abolished as part of the cabinet reshuffle in June 2018. The post was reinstated for the Swinney government in 2024 under Minister for Employment and Investment to assist the newly appointed Deputy First Minister, Kate Forbes.
The Junior Ministerial post of Minister for Youth Employment was created on 7 December 2011 following the recommendations of the Smith Group.[3] From April 2014, this was promoted to a Cabinet Secretary position, as Cabinet Secretary for Training, Youth and Women's Employment. The November 2014 Cabinet reshuffle saw the Cabinet Secretary position changed to Cabinet Secretary for Fair Work, Skills and Training. In May 2016, Nicola Sturgeon retitled the post to Minister for Employability and Training.
| Name | width=75 | Portrait | Entered Office | Left Office | Party | First Minister | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minister for Youth and Women's Employment | |||||||
| Annabelle Ewing | 21 November 2014 | 18 May 2016 | Scottish National Party | Nicola Sturgeon | |||
| Minister for Employability and Training | |||||||
| Jamie Hepburn | 18 May 2016 | 27 June 2018 | Scottish National Party | Nicola Sturgeon | |||
| Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work[4] | |||||||
| Richard Lochhead | 20 May 2021[5] | 29 March 2023 | Scottish National Party | ||||
| Minister for Employment and Investment | |||||||
| Tom Arthur | 8 May 2024 | Incumbent | Scottish National Party | John Swinney | |||