Scotland’s labour market showed continued improvement in May, according to The Bank of Scotland Labour Market Barometer.

The Barometer posted a reading of 56.5 in May, down from 56.6 in April.

Donald MacRae, chief economist at Bank of Scotland, says: “May’s ‘Report on Jobs’ showed a welcome seventh consecutive month of improvement in May, as the Scottish Labour Market Barometer outperformed the rest of the UK providing further evidence of Scotland’s economic recovery.

“The number of people employed into both permanent and temporary roles increased strongly in May. Vacancies overall improved while the number of people seeking permanent work fell during the month.”