The Scottish labour market showed further signs of improvement in May, according to the latest Bank of Scotland Report on Jobs.

According to the statistics, both permanent and temporary placements rose strongly last month, though at sharply reduced rates from the highs seen the month before.

In general, recruitment firms attributed higher staff placements to greater client demand, with strong vacancy growth overall.

Salaries, meanwhile, rose to the greatest extent in a year, with the Bank of Scotland Labour Market Barometer – which provides a single-figure snapshot of labour market conditions – posting 54.8 in May.

Anything above 50 indicates positive growth, noted Donald MacRae, chief economist at Bank of Scotland, who said it was good to see that the Scottish labour market continued to improve in May.

He added: "The number of people appointed to jobs rose while the number of vacancies for both temporary and permanent jobs increased sharply indicating demand for staff from employers. The Scottish labour market is showing resilience in the face of the global slowdown of 2012."

18/06/2012 16:07