Jobs market improves, says Bank of Scotland report

Scotland's job market improved again last month, with a sharp rise in the number of permanent staff taken on by employers.

The latest jobs survey from Bank of Scotland found that Edinburgh had the fastest rise in permanent jobs.

But in Aberdeen, demand for new staff eased.

Starting salaries increased for all types of jobs although the rate of increase slowed, according to the report.

It also suggested that temporary staff found it more challenging to find work.

The sharpest increases in demand for both permanent and temporary staff were recorded in the nursing/medical/care jobs category, followed by IT and computing.

The availability of candidates for permanent vacancies again fell sharply in February, although at a much slower rate compared with the previous month.

The Bank of Scotland Labour Market Barometer stood at 59.8 in February, slightly down on the figure for the previous month.

Any reading above 50 suggests an improvement in market conditions.

However, it was the lowest reading recorded since August 2013 and below the equivalent index for the UK as a whole for the second straight month.

The survey of more than 100 recruitment and employment consultancies operating in Scotland was conducted in association with Markit Economics.

Bank of Scotland chief economist Donald MacRae said: "These results show businesses with enough confidence to invest for the future and suggest the Scottish economy continues to grow in early 2015."