The Scottish jobs market is slowly improving but further government backed stimulus is needed to restore it to full health, according to a new report.
The latest barometer survey by web recruitment firm totaljobs found the total number of new roles posted in Scotland in 2013 had increased by 4% on the previous year.
The rise in available positions helped to ease competition within the marketplace, with the number of people applying for each job dropping from 16 in 2012 to 14 last year.
“Our barometer figures back up the claim that the economy is in recovery,” the firm’s Scottish regional manager Steve Clark said.
“More jobs and less competition is contributing to renewed jobseeker confidence. We are also beginning to see more evidence of people moving between jobs to improve career prospects rather than settling for anything stable.”
The IT and digital sector saw a 46% rise in job posts last year while there was also a significant improvement in the transport and logistics industry with a 44% uplift.
However, job availability in the finance sector dropped by more than a quarter during the year and marketing, advertising and PR positions fell by 26%.
“Although the top line picture is rosy, which the government is very keen to remind us of, we must remember these are only small improvements and there is still a long way to go before we have a thriving employment market once more,” Mr Clark said.
“I’m particularly concerned with the decline in industries the UK usually relies on for economic stimulus such as banking and finance. It is crucial that the government continues to provide a stimulus to help employers all around the UK to invest in recruitment so they can create the jobs that will build a lasting recovery.”
In the UK as a whole, accountancy saw the biggest rise in job posts – up 36% on the year – while th vital construction sector also demonstrated signs of a fightback with a 31% rise in positions offered.