As reported by recruiter.co.uk yesterday, and on Wednesday as unemployment figures showed a 17-year high in the numbers of jobless, key vacancies go unfilled in technical sectors.

Scottish recruitment firm McAdam King is struggling to meet demand for positions such as reservoir engineers, geologists, project managers and mechanical design specialists.

Maureen Blenkharn, a founding director of McAdam King, said: “These are the jobs that firms really need our help in finding the right person. It’s particularly challenging because, for many candidates in this area, money isn’t a deciding factor.”

Blenkharn says the current shortages could be traced back to the 1990s, saying: “During that time apprenticeship programmes became less commonplace, while electronics was seen as a ’sexier’ sector than traditional engineering. Fewer people began training in these disciplines and, as a result, engineers with the right background are in short supply and we have to be innovative in our approach to recruitment.”