Scots more nervous about jobs security than rest of UK

The latest UK Employment Confidence Survey, carried out by recruiter Glassdoor, revealed that just over 40 per cent of staff members in Scotland fear the sack in the next six months, well above the national average of 32 per cent.

About two-fifths of workers in Scotland also said it was unlikely they would be able to find a job of a similar standing in the next six months if they were laid off -the national average was 27 per cent - with men more likely than women to feel confident about their prospects of finding a new job in the near future.

The survey, conducted online last month among just over 2,000 UK workers, also revealed that the number of people in the UK expecting a pay rise has reached its highest point since the first half of last year.

Nearly two in five employees in Scotland hold out hopes of getting a pay rise in the next year, flat with the UK average.

A similar proportion of respondents predicted an upturn in the fortunes of their company in the next six months – a high since the study was launched at the start of 2014.

Meanwhile, the survey found that workers in Wales feel the most secure in their jobs, with just 22 per cent saying they are concerned for their livelihoods.

John Ingham, career and workplace analyst at Glassdoor, which commissioned the survey, said: “The survey offers some curious alarm bells as employees start to worry more about job redundancy despite growing confidence in business outlook.

“There is a disconnect because employees think the outlook for their business is positive, yet they could lose their jobs.”

The poll also indicated that women in Britain were not being treated equally when it comes to bonus payments.

The survey, carried out by Harris Interactive, said 29 per cent of women employed in the UK receive any form of bonus as opposed to 44 per cent of men.

A higher proportion of women than men said their chances of receiving a bonus depended on the performance of the firm which employs them, as opposed to their own productivity levels.

Mr Ingham added: “The survey findings offer a reminder of the importance of pay transparency versus just salary transparency and that a compensation package can be more than just an annual salary or hourly pay rate. It’s unfortunate to find yet again another case of disparity between men and women in the workplace.”