DEMAND for staff increased strongly in Scotland in February with employers in the health sector facing shortages even before the Beast from the East posed fresh challenges research has found.
A survey of recruitment agencies found permanent placements increased in Scotland for the 13th period running, and at a faster pace than the UK average.
Billings for temporary contracts increased at the fastest rate in five months. Growth in Scotland outpaced the UK average for the first time since September.
Completed by IHS Markit for the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, the survey found the number of vacancies for permanent and temporary posts increased strongly in Scotland.
Demand for medical staff to fill temporary roles jumped in February.
Kevin Green, chief executive of the Recuitment and Employment Confederation, said: “Even with employer uncertainty, demand for staff continues to rise. At the same time candidate availability is still dropping, which means that employers in all sectors are struggling to recruit for the roles they desperately need to fill.”
IHS Markit said the supply of candidates fell faster in Scotland than across the UK.
Pay and salary rates rose sharply in Scotland.
Demand for both permanent and temporary staff was strongest in the IT and computing sector.
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