THE outlook for jobseekers in Scotland is brighter than at any time since 2007, when the credit crunch started, research shows.
A survey by Manpower found the number of employers in Scotland expecting to create jobs in the current quarter comfortably exceeded those braced to trim their workforces.
In a sign confidence levels are increasing north of the Border, the employment firm reported a positive balance of 5% more expect to hire more staff rather than shed jobs.
"After a long period lagging behind the rest of the UK, the outlook in Scotland has jumped to levels last seen in 2007," said Manpower.
Amanda White, operations manager at Manpower, added: "There are roles across a number of sectors including production, manufacturing and commercial, and we have noticed a demand for people with good sales skills."
However, she noted: "We have also seen candidates taking roles below their salary expectations due to a lack of opportunities in some areas."
Manpower said the outlook remains bright across the UK, with a balance of 6% of employers expecting to create jobs.
The business and financial services sector, in which Scotland is well represented, appears to be faring best. A balance of 13% of employers expect to create jobs.
However, Manpower said that with investment banks continuing to make cuts, many of the jobs created in finance are the direct result of the mis-selling of PPI (payment protection insurance) and interest rate swaps by banks.
Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group, which owns Bank of Scotland, have made hefty provisions in respect of sales of PPI and interest rate swaps.
Mark Cahill, UK managing director at ManpowerGroup, said: "These scandals have spawned a new industry to deal with the fallout.
"ManpowerGroup estimates up to 20,000 new jobs have already been created by the big banks alone for the sole purpose of servicing PPI claims."
Manpower detected a renewed interest in public sector hiring, which it said is set to outpace private sector hiring in the second quarter.
A negative balance of 11% of construction firms expected to reduce staffing levels.
Manpower had responses from 2100 employers, including 214 in Scotland.
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