Rising pay levels point to strong jobs market

A newly launched survey today reported a strong jobs market in Scotland with rising rates of pay, vacancies and demand for staff.

The Markit report highlighted rising demand for nursing staff. Picture: John Devlin

The Markit Report on Jobs for Scotland found that salary levels for permanent staff increased in April, partly reflecting a sharp decrease in candidate availability.

The introduction of the national living wage also led to a record rise in hourly rates for temporary workers, according to figures from recruitment consultancies in Scotland.

Demand for staff has risen in sectors including nursing and the hotel and catering industry.

Kevin Green, chief executive at the Recruitment & Employment Confederation, said: “Uncertainty about the possibility of a Brexit in June has dampened demand for permanent staff south of the Border. However this doesn’t appear to be true in Scotland.”

He said the figures for April suggested “better news ahead”.