Scottish job vacancies close to all-time high but availability of candidates plummets

Job vacancies in Scotland are holding close to an all-time high but the availability of suitable candidates has “plummeted”, a report today suggests.

Royal Bank of Scotland' s latest monthly report on jobs recorded the third sharpest growth of new appointments on record, with similarly high demand for workers.

But the survey of businesses in September found the second fastest decline of applicants for permanent jobs since records began in 2008, with firms citing Brexit and pandemic uncertainty as the key factors.

Candidates for temporary jobs fell for the seventh consecutive month, although the decline slowed from the substantial drop in August.

The RBS survey of businesses in September found the second fastest decline of applicants for permanent jobs since records began in 2008, with firms citing Brexit and pandemic uncertainty as the key factors.

Starting salaries for people in new jobs and the hourly rate for temporary workers both rose once again.

The industries with the highest rate of vacancies were the IT and computing sectors, followed by engineering and construction, and then the accountancy and financial sectors.

Meanwhile, the hotel and catering industries had the fastest rise in demand for temporary staff, followed by IT and computing.

Sebastian Burnside, chief economist at RBS, said: “Scotland saw a further rapid uplift in hiring activity during September, with the rates of increase in both permanent placements and temp billings easing only slightly from the all-time records seen in August. This rounded off a third quarter of unprecedented hiring activity as the Scottish labour market continues to rebound.

“Meanwhile, vacancies for both short-term and permanent staff rose at near-record rates during September, but recruiters widely reported skills shortages as the supply of candidates continued to plummet. These shortages are likely to become more pronounced over the coming months.”

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