Both permanent and temporary staff placements increased strongly in August, according to the latest Bank of Scotland ‘Report on Jobs’.

The Bank of Scotland Labour Market Barometer — a composite indicator designed to provide a single figure snapshot of labour market conditions — posted a reading of 53.9 in August, down from 55 in July.

Donald MacRae, chief economist at Bank of Scotland, says: “This latest ‘Report on Jobs’ shows further improvement in the Scottish labour market, with both permanent and temporary appointments increasing. Permanent placements remained above the long-running series average, however at a weaker rate than that recorded last month.

“The Barometer has now been above the equivalent index for the UK for five consecutive months. Demand for both temporary and permanent staff increased strongly.

“This latest ‘Report on Jobs’ shows a further improvement in Scottish labour market conditions in August. However, the Barometer has fallen to a five-month low, indicating that maintaining this improvement throughout the winter months will be challenging in the teeth of a global slowdown.”