This week we welcome back Vera McFly with an inside track on the horsemeat scandal and the lowdown on where to get the genuine article. Vera finds oil in them there waves, wonders at the take-off of passenger numbers at Prestwick and applauds the RBS shares coming to a wallet near you. And if you fancy aquiring a huge chunk of Scottish rock...
Further Good News on Scottish Jobs
Scotland enjoyed a further strong rise in permanent job placements at the start of the year, with recruitment agencies generally citing improved conditions.
Demand for staff also rose in January, particularly for temps, and contributed to a further rise in average pay.
According to the latest Bank of Scotland Labour Market Barometer out this week, the latest increase in permanent salaries was strong and the fastest since last May.
The Barometer – a composite indicator designed to provide a single figure snapshot of labour market conditions – continued to indicate an improvement in Scottish job market conditions in January, though the increase was the slowest in three months.
At 53.9, the Barometer was above both its long-run series average and the equivalent index for the UK. However, down from December’s 19-month high of 56.0, the Barometer nonetheless signalled the weakest improvement since last October.
Said Donald MacRae, Chief Economist at Bank of Scotland, “January’s Barometer signalled a continuing improvement in Scottish job market conditions.
“The number of people placed into permanent jobs remained strong while vacancies for both permanent and temporary staff grew in the month. Demand for permanent staff was highest in engineering and construction suggesting a modest pick-up in activity in this crucial sector in the coming spring.
“These results reinforce the hope that the Scottish economy enjoyed moderate growth in January 2013.”
