Recruiters remain positive, despite the unemployment figures, released later today, which are set to confirm that the number of people out of work has risen to around 2m.

Colin Birchall, chief executive of Pertemps People Development Group (PPDG), describes the surge in unemployment as “heart-breaking news”.

Thousands of job opportunities are still available, he adds. There are around 500,000 vacancies in the marketplace in a wide range of sectors including warehousing, retail and leisure, Birchall says.

Shan Saba, director at brightwork specialist recruitment, told Recruiter that there are still opportunities out there for Scottish jobseekers:

“Even though there is a bleak picture on the marketplace, we have noticed that certain employers are still recruiting and are taking advantage of the market and employing new candidates in Scotland.”