Scottish firms appear to be looking to temporary workers to fill staffing vacancies, research has found.
Permanent job numbers fell in July for the first time in two-and-a-half years, according to the Royal Bank of Scotland Report on Jobs.
Meanwhile, demand for temporary staff grew sharply in July.
The research showed signs that firms are looking at short-term staff to fulfil roles.
The bank's jobs report into the employment market, said that contrasted with the joint-slowest rise in permanent job vacancies since August 2016.
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The report suggests firms were increasingly looking at short-term staff to fulfil roles, with the sharpest rise in temporary job vacancies in Scotland since December 2018.
It warned about the availability of labour, saying: "The decline in permanent staff placements coincided with a steep and accelerated deterioration in permanent labour supply across Scotland that was among the fastest recorded in the survey history."
The latest survey data indicated that starting salaries for permanent staff has increased slightly, but temporary wage growth was described as "softer".
Royal Bank of Scotland chief economist Sebastian Burnside said: "While Report on Jobs data has shown falling permanent placements at the aggregate UK level in each month since March, Scotland had shown resilience to defy this trend and continue posting healthy jobs growth in the first half of the year.
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"However, the upturn in permanent staff appointments across Scotland came to an end in July, as permanent hiring fell for the first time in two-and-a-half years."
He added: "Other indicators also showed signs of a softening labour market.
"Permanent vacancy growth dipped and was the joint-weakest since August 2016.
"Firms appeared to look to short-term workers to fulfil roles at their firms.
"Alongside the renewed rise in temp billings, demand for short-term staff rose at a sharper rate in July."
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