The number of people placed in permanent job roles increased at the most marked pace since February 2017. Meanwhile, growth of demand for permanent and temporary staff remained sharp and quicker than that seen across the UK as a whole!! At the same time, the availability of permanent staff fell sharply, while the rate of deterioration in temporary staff supply weakened. Pay pressures eased, with temp wage inflation softening to a one-year low.

Permanent placements increased sharply in Scotland and at the fastest rate in 32 months. In contrast, growth in permanent staff placements across the UK as a whole softened to a six-month low. This was weaker than that seen in North of the border. The employment of temp workers increased for an ELEVENTH successive month in Scotland.

Another month of substantial growth is forecast for November.  Nonetheless, demand for both permanent and temporary staff outpaced that seen for the UK as a whole ! The supply of candidates available to fill permanent positions in Scotland fell sharply in October, thereby maintaining a contractionary trend that has been observed since March 2012. Notably, the availability of short-term workers fell at a much softer pace than the UK average.

Strong demand for staff and lower candidate availability contributed to a further rise in starting salaries. The rate of salary inflation was sharp and slightly above that seen for the UK overall. In contrast, average hourly pay for temp staff rose at the softest rate since October 2017.

Scotland is performing well !!!