Quarter of Scots firms faced recruitment difficulties in November

Scotland in Union, the pro-UK campaign group, said the Scottish Government must shoulder some of the blame

Shona Robison. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Nearly one in four Scottish businesses faced challenges recruiting employees in November – the highest rate in the UK.

A study of more than 1,000 firms in Scotland revealed 24.5 per cent said they found it difficult to hire the right staff.

The UK average was 20.7 per cent, and Scotland’s figure was higher than all other parts of the UK, including every region of England.

The figures were reported in the Office for National Statistics’ Business Insights and Conditions Survey, which spoke to a total of 9,555 firms across the UK.

Scotland in Union, the pro-UK campaign group, highlighted the statistics and said the Scottish Government had to shoulder some of the blame for the situation north of the border.

Pamela Nash, chief executive of Scotland in Union, said: “It’s bad news for Scotland that almost a quarter of businesses reported challenges in recruitment. That suggests that the opportunities on offer aren’t matching up to the skills available in our workforce, letting down both jobseekers and businesses.

“The SNP has been in charge for more than 16 years, over which time it has had control over education, skills, training and the economy. It has created an anti-businesses environment, driven down standards in education and completely neglected our vital colleges sector.

“This has been reflected in international league tables and the cuts being imposed in next year’s Scottish Government budget - the direct result of failing to grow our economy. The nationalists cannot simply shrug their shoulders and blame either Brexit or the UK Government – on this front the SNP has underperformed every single other part of the UK.

“The fact is we have a government that has been so distracted by independence that it has neglected the areas vital to jobs, opportunities and economic growth.”

The figure for England as a whole was 20.2 per cent, while in Wales 22.8 per cent of businesses said they had faced recruitment difficulties. Northern Ireland’s figure was only just behind Scotland’s, at 24.4 per cent.

Among Scottish responses, 43.1 per cent said they did not experience recruitment difficulties and 17.9 per cent said they were not sure.

Last month it was claimed workers in the financial sector are choosing to live in northern English cities rather than move to Scotland where they would pay more income tax.

Judith Cruickshank, managing director of commercial mid-market at the Royal Bank of Scotland, said she had heard "many anecdotal stories" of higher earners deciding to live in cities such as Manchester, Newcastle and Liverpool. She said the issue had been raised as a "challenge" by members of Scottish Financial Enterprise (SFE), the representative body of Scotland's financial services industry, where she sits on the board.

Ms Cruickshank made the comments at a post-Scottish Budget event held by the advisory firm True North, where she appeared on a panel alongside Shona Robison, the deputy first minister and finance secretary.

The day before, Ms Robison had announced that a new income tax band is to be created for higher earners, while the top rate will rise by 1p in the pound. Meanwhile, the threshold for paying the higher rate of tax – £43,663 – will be frozen.