Boost For Scots Jobs And Wages

Starting salaries for permanent workers and hourly rates for temps have risen to their highest level this year.

The number of people in employment also grew during May. The highest demand was for IT and computing workers. Accountants, engineers and nurses were also highly sought last month.

It is a return to form for the Scottish job market, after an initial slump at the start of the year. The Bank of Scotland Labour Market Barometer registered above the 50.0 ‘no-change’ mark in May, at 59.6. This was slightly higher than April’s 22-month low of 59.1. 
 
Donald MacRae, Chief Economist at Bank of Scotland, said:

"May’s Barometer was a healthy 59.6 – slightly up from last month. The number of people placed into work rose accompanied by an increase in both permanent and temporary vacancies.  The rate of increase in permanent starting salaries was strong while hourly pay rates for temporary staff increased for the second month in a row.  These results show the Scottish economy recovering some of the growth momentum lost in January this year."