The number of people in Scotland looking for work has risen during lockdown, according to new figures.

The Office for National Statistics says the first full month of lockdown saw an increase in unemployment, while the number of vacancies fell to a record low.

Unemployment rose by 30,000 to 127,000 in Scotland between March and May.

The jobless rate in the three months up to April was 4.6%, which is an increase of 1.1% on the previous quart, and above the UK's rate of 3.9%.

Business, Fair Work and Skills Minister Jamie Hepburn said: "These are the first labour market statistics to include a full month of lockdown measures, and show clearly the scale of the challenge facing Scotland as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

"I know that many people will be feeling a deep sense of anxiety about their livelihoods. Keeping people in work while supporting those who have lost their jobs will continue to be at the heart of our thinking as we carefully reopen the economy."

Meanwhile, across the UK, workers on company payrolls slumped by more than 600,000 between March and May and unemployment claims soared by 1.6 million.

The ONS said early estimates showed the number of paid employees dropped by 2.1% or 612,000 in May compared with March, while job vacancies also slumped to a record low last month nationwide

Jobless claims under Universal Credit jumped 23.3% month-on-month in May to 2.8 million and have rocketed 125.9% or 1.6 million since March, when the UK was placed in lockdown.

READ MORE: UK billionaires see personal wealth grow by £25bn during pandemic lockdown

The grim ONS data also showed the number of people temporarily away from work, including furloughed workers, rose by six million at the end of March into April.

This saw hours worked each week tumbled by a record 94.2 million, or 8.9% year-on-year, in the three months to April, the ONS said.

But the UK jobless rate remained largely unchanged quarter-on-quarter at 3.9% in the three months to April.

Jonathan Athow, deputy national statistician for economic statistics at the ONS, said: “The slowdown in the economy is now visibly hitting the labour market, especially in terms of hours worked.

READ MORE: Travis Perkins announces 2,500 jobs and 165 stores to go

“Early indicators for May show that the number of employees on payrolls were down over 600,000 compared with March.

“The claimant count was up again, though not all of these people are necessarily unemployed.”

He added: “More detailed employment data up to April show a dramatic drop in the number of hours worked, which were down almost 9% in the latest period, partly due to a six million rise in people away from work, including those furloughed.”