April’s Bank of Scotland Report on Jobs has signalled continued improvement in the Scottish labour market.

Both permanent and temporary staff appointments rose in April due to greater demand from clients, while temporary contract candidate availability rose, but permanent staff availability remained unchanged.
 
The Bank of Scotland Labour Market Barometer – a composite indicator designed to provide a single figure snapshot of labour market conditions – posted a reading of 56.6 in April, up from 53.8 in March, and was the highest since October 2007.

Donald MacRae, chief economist at Bank of Scotland, says: “The latest Report on Jobs shows a further improvement in the Scottish labour market. The number of people placed in to permanent positions increased for the seventh consecutive month, while demand for permanent staff rose markedly in April, with recruitment consultants registering a larger number of vacancies. All eight employment sectors registered greater demand for permanent staff in April.
 
“The number of temporary staff vacancies also rose in April, at the fastest rate in four months. Again, all eight employment sectors saw greater demand, with Hotel & Catering recording the strongest growth.”