Temporary vacancies in Scotland fall by 2 per cent year on year

The data, provided by recruitment software company, Innovantage, revealed that as well as a dip in temporary roles, permanent vacancies have fallen by 7% year on year. However, demand for temporary professionals rose notably across a number of sectors including science and construction which recorded uplifts of 28 per cent and 26 percent respectively.

Diane Turnbull, Membership Relations Manager for Scotland at APSCo, said: “After months of positive hiring sentiment across Scotland, professional job availability in the temporary market has experienced a minor dip. Somewhat unsurprisingly, employers are also expressing a degree of caution when it comes to permanent hiring activity as the government prepares to invoke Article 50 at the end of the month. APSCo’s findings sit broadly in line with the national average, with recent figures from the Office for National Statistics revealing that overall employment remained stable, at 74.6 per cent, in the three months to January 2017.”

“Demand for temporary professionals is growing notably in the legal sector, with professional job availability rising by 15 per cent year on year to February, no doubt at least in part due to continued uncertainty over the implications of a vote to leave the European Union. Law Firm Leaders’ survey from accountancy firm BDO, reveals that over 90 per cent of Scottish participants said that technology will be a major factor in their firm’s success in the next five years. Temporary professionals are also being increasingly sought after in the construction sector, no doubt partially due to the ever growing skills shortages in the profession. In fact, according to report from Acardis, ‘Talent Scale’, Scotland’s recruitment requirement for housebuilding and infrastructure is 37,976, so it is highly likely that demand will continue to increase.”