Scots firms take foot off hiring pedal as election nears

Scottish companies have slowed down their hiring efforts in the run up to the general election, a new survey suggests.

As the UK gears up for its fourth general election since 2010, increased economic uncertainty has led to a significant drop in job advertisements across Scotland. Picture: Lisa Ferguson

The number of job advertisements fell by 14.4 per cent month-on-month during November, according to recruitment website CV-Library.

The latest findings also reveal that Glasgow experienced the biggest drop in vacancies, with an 18.2 per cent fall. This was followed by a 17.2 per cent decline in Aberdeen, a 15 per cent decrease in Edinburgh and an 11.1 per cent fall in Dundee.

Despite the reduction in advertised jobs, Scottish employers have hiked their pay up markedly, with average salaries for new roles rising by 34.9 per cent month-on-month in November.

Lee Biggins, chief executive and founder of CV-Library, said: “Uncertainty around the general election and the outcome of Brexit has evidently taken a toll on the Scottish job market; especially with the SNP urging for an independence vote.

“At the same time, employers understand that in order to entice professionals out of their current jobs, they need to offer competitive salaries; especially when hiring for any urgent positions. This makes for a very tense job market right now.”

He added: “It’s important to remember that while these numbers are certainly exacerbated by the current political climate, this time of year is usually quieter for recruitment across the board.”

Job applications fell by 10.2 per cent month-on-month. Aberdeen experienced the largest fall in applications, with a 17.9 per cent drop, Edinburgh was down 10.5 per cent while Dundee fell 10.3 per cent.

CV-Library, which was founded in 2000, is one of the UK’s largest online job sites and attracts some 4.3 million unique job seekers every month. The job board has a database of 14 million CVs.