Demand for permanent staff in Scotland ‘slows’

The demand for permanent staff in Scotland slowed to a 17-month low last month, new figures suggest.

According to a Bank of Scotland Labour Market Report, the labour market north of the border fell for the eighth month in a row from 55.3 in January to 54.2 in February.

Commenting on the findings, Martin Ellis, chief economist at Bank of Scotland, stated: "It is not surprising that Scottish labour market conditions continued to ease in February given the anticipated moderation in Scottish economic growth this year."

However, the country still posted a stronger expansion of permanent staff than the rest of the UK and there was a sharp increase in demand for temporary workers, he added.

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Aberdeen was found to have had the strongest growth of both permanent and temporary staff placements during February.

Earlier this month, KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation released figures which suggested that the number of temporary jobs available in the UK in February rose at its fastest rate for three months.