Edinburgh enjoys jobs boom with 9000 vacancies up for grabs

New figures show that 9115 new jobs were advertised over October and November, which was 28 per cent higher than the same period of last year and higher than any of the previous four years.

There were more vacancies advertised in October alone than in any month since 2004.

The surge in vacancies has been linked to recruitment campaigns by a string of new companies setting up in Edinburgh, including the new Primark store in Princes Street and the Amazon office within Waverley Gate.

However, many of the jobs are also likely to be seasonal work in shops, restaurants and hotels over the Christmas period.

There were warnings today that the city’s economy remains fragile, with the number of people signing on as unemployed continuing to rise.

Graham Birse, managing director of the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, said: “What these figures show is the underlying strength in depth of the Edinburgh economy.

“We are all aware of the macro economic factors and the outlook is uncertain. The governor of the Bank of England, when he was here in July, used the word ‘turbulent’ and he chooses his words carefully.

“What is encouraging is that there are economic investors and institutions that are willing to come in and employ people.

“As well as Primark and Amazon, there’s Mitsubishi and, indeed, in the financial services sector Edinburgh remains a strong attraction.”

He said that the city’s glass was “half full” as it entered the new year with confidence.

The majority of the vacancies in October were in banking, finance and insurance, while the other two most active sectors were distribution, hotels and restaurants and public administration, education and health.

Dave Anderson, the council’s director of city development, said: “I suspect it is in part the ‘Primark effect’ and a lot of retailers taking on staff for Christmas, but it is encouraging.”

The figures include all job adverts lodged with Jobcentre Plus, which represent around one in three of all vacancies.

Councillor Tom Buchanan, the city’s economic development leader, said: “This is good news, particularly for people seeking employment in the run-up to Christmas.”

However, there were 11,171 people in Edinburgh claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance last month, which was 11 per cent higher than November 2010.