Job survey suggests improvement in Scotland

The report showed an improvement in both part-time and full-time recruitment

Scotland's job market is looking up, according to the latest evidence.

The Bank of Scotland survey for November shows the first improvement in confidence in six months.

The report, which was drawn from the opinion of 100 recruitment experts, also suggested starting pay increased for the first time in six months.

The strongest showing was for Aberdeen and Edinburgh, while Glasgow showed the fastest increase in the number of people seeking jobs.

The report showed an improvement in both part-time and full-time recruitment. IT and computing was the strongest sector for full-time jobs, with hotels and catering picking up part-time jobs most strongly.

The survey follows positive news from the official jobs statistics for December, showing a decline in the number of Scots seeking jobs between August and September.

According to Donald MacRae, chief economist at Bank of Scotland, the November improvement was only slightly up on October.

He said: "Conditions within the Scottish labour market have improved, yet still remain challenging.

"The number of people placed into permanent and temporary jobs increased at a solid rate, with both sectors reporting six month highs.

"Average salaries paid to permanent staff increased for the first time in six months during November as demand for permanent employees rose."

He added: "This is a welcome improvement in the labour market, confirming Scotland's slow recovery from recession and almost closing the gap with the rest of the UK."