It was also named the joint third worst business hotspot in the whole country.
A study by business energy experts Utility Bidder found just 64.9 percent of workers in the area were currently employed.
Only Clackmannanshire was worse off, topping the table with 64.4 per cent.
North Ayrshire ranked below employment blackspots such as Inverclyde, Glasgow City and Dundee in the listing.
South Ayrshire ranked sixth worst out of Scotland’s 31 local authorities, with East Ayrshire ranked 16th.
Across the top 10 Scottish regions for unemployment, nearly 32 per cent of adults across each region on average were unemployed – almost a third of the relevant population.
The same study also named North Ayrshire as the joint third worst business hotspot in Scotland.
The study ranked each local authority according to five year business survival rate, employment rate, GDP per capita, people with level six qualifications or higher, median download speed and train stations per 100,000 people.
North Ayrshire tied with Angus with a ranking of just 3.94 per cent, compared with top ranked Edinburgh’s score of 8.20.
Lowest ranked in Scotland was the Western Isles, with a score of 2.87.
A North Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “We are very aware of the challenges faced by business and have developed a support structure that has been informed by business need.
“We offer wide-ranging support through a business’s lifecycle, from pre-start, start up all the way through to our larger growing and large established employers. This includes all business types from sole traders to limited companies and social enterprises such as charities and community interest companies.
“The Business Gateway programme forms part of our offer. This includes online delivery as well as our regular events and marketing. Our one-to-one support is relationship-based with each business supported by an adviser to understand their particular challenges.
“From this, an action plan is developed with specific support interventions provided by the adviser bespoke to the company’s needs. Our business review covers all pillars of Community Wealth Building to understand opportunities in relation to procurement, their land and property requirements, fair work and other areas.”
The spokeperson continued: “Considerable focus is also placed on supporting digital and green technology adoption given the changing face of business and the impact of energy prices.
“Other tools used to support business directly include a consultancy framework that can provide specialist help on areas of strategy, green adoption, digital technology, procurement support, skills and training providers, and plural ownership models.
“Our grant provision supports business to accelerate growth and develop sustainable plans to purchase equipment, upskill staff, and enhance their digital and marketing capabilities.
“This support is funded through a range of sources including the Shared Prosperity Fund and the Council’s 2024/25 budget, which agreed a £0.35m fund to support business recovery and sustainability.
“We also work with a range of partners to maximise the support available to business including Scottish Enterprise and Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce. In 2024, we supported 119 specialist consultancy interventions and 187 grants that helped support over £1.7m of projects.”
They concluded: “We believe that North Ayrshire is a fantastic place to work, live and invest and our businesses team are always happy to speak to companies about the opportunities available locally.”