The latest 'IHS Markit' report on jobs data for Scotland, covering up to October 2017, has just been published and it makes happy reading for the recruitment sector and employment in Scotland in general.
Perm and Temp recruitment placements in October continue to show strong growth and, the rate of growth increased from September outperforming the UK as a whole.
October's jobs data for Scotland showed the quickest rise in permanent staff placements since February 2015, with Perm staff vacancies indexing at 67.2 in October (50 = no change).
Billings for Temp staff placements also increased for the 11th consecutive month, although the pace of growth eased slightly from September.
A substantial growth in demand for Perm and Temp staff was recorded by Scottish recruitment consultancies in general in October, with Perms showing particularly strong numbers. All sectors are showing strong growth indexes versus previous months, but IT, Medical, Clerical and Engineering & Construction are leading the way in October for Perms amongst Scottish recruiters.
Conversely, those job vacancies continue to get harder with regard to sourcing good quality candidates, with another fall in the supply of candidates recorded, continuing the trend seen since March 2012. Starting salaries saw another bump upwards partly as a result of this weakening candidate supply versus growing demand.
As you would expect, the overall employment market is reflected in the market for Recruitment Consultancies in terms of demand for quality recruitment staff and a decline in the availability of good candidates. That's why GPS are working harder than ever and generating new ways to source new talent into the industry.
As Scotland's largest Recruitment-to-Recruitment specialist (and a contributor to the IHS Markit survey), we would be delighted to share any more detail you might need on this months report, or discuss your own recruitment requirements to help fuel your own growth in this strong market.
Just give us a call or drop us an email via the 'Contact us' section, or call Hazel on 0141 319 8719/07411002589.