Employers in Scotland have stepped up wellbeing support since April, amid the coronavirus pandemic, but work-life balance among professionals shows “significant disparity” between sectors, a survey shows.

The survey of more than 700 employers and staff in Scotland by recruitment company Hays shows 48 per cent of professionals rate their work-life balance between average and very poor. This is little changed from the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March, when the proportion was 45%, Hays noted.

People in the charity sector rated their work-life balance worst, with 61% saying it was between average and poor, Hays noted.

Engineering was the next most downbeat sector in terms of work-life balance, with 58% of respondents declaring it was between average and poor.

Education professionals were the most positive about their work-life balance, with only 37% saying it was between average and poor.

About 69% of those surveyed expect their work-life balance to remain at its current level over the next three months.