July sees Scotland's jobs market expand

Date: 15th August 2011

Small businesses working north of the border could be among those encouraged by the publication of new jobs market figures.

The latest Report on Jobs by Bank of Scotland has revealed that demand for staff increased strongly last month.

This could suggest that the country has seen business pick up in recent weeks, with the higher demand resulting from new projects being launched.

According to the study, both permanent and temporary staff saw demand increase, with permanent jobs growing at a sharper rate.

Aberdeen was seen to be a hotbed of business activity with demand for both sets of workers increasing at a faster rate than anywhere else in the country.

Donald MacRae, chief economist at Bank of Scotland, said: "There was a rise in the number of people placed into permanent work, bringing the current period of growth to ten months.

"The rate of wage inflation remained solid, but eased since the previous month. The number of both long- and short-term job vacancies increased markedly in July, with the rate of vacancy growth rising to a three-month high."

Posted by Jacob Williams