A major revision in the price of crude oil has hit the Scottish jobs market disproportionately hard.
A new survey by Manpower has revealed a negative outlook for Scotland’s recruitment sector as it enters into the second quarter of the year.
The -1% return is the lowest measure seen north of the border for two years and means Scotland is the only region in the UK-wide survey to be in negative territory.
The figure is also below that seen at the time of the referendum on independence last year when companies were stalling recruitment decisions due to uncertainty over the business environment that would emerge post-vote.
On Monday Manpower said the crisis in the energy sector prompted by the oil price more than halving in the latter part of 2014 was causing serious issues within the jobs marketplace.
The sector has suffered a raft of job cuts by major players like BP, Shell and Conoco Phillips in recent months while smaller oil and gas firms have also been revisiting their cost base in a bid to cut their cloth in line with the prevailing market conditions.
“Scotland’s jobs outlook is at its most pessimistic level in two years and is eight points lower than it was heading into last year’s independence referendum,” Manpower UK operations manager Amanda White said.
“The energy industry provides employment for around 200,000 people across Scotland and the recent fall in oil price has hit Scottish jobs hard, with the economy of its third largest city, Aberdeen, reliant on the sector.
“As well as an overall fall in the number of jobs available, we have also seen salaries impacted.
“For example, pay in Aberdeen has dropped, after a period of higher salaries driven by a booming resources sector.
“The jobs market in Grangemouth also looks less rosy this quarter, as, coupled with the fall in oil price, the industrial roles that provide much of the employment for the area have also decreased.”
The Manpower survey takes into account the views of more than 2,100 employers spread across the UK.
Overall, the seasonally adjusted net employment outlook remained at 6% for the third successive quarter a figure that indicates the UK jobs market continues to plot a steady upwards course.
Interestingly, the data shows a 10-point jump to 12% in hiring intentions within the public sector across the UK ahead of the forthcoming general election.
That figure outstrips recruitment intentions within the private sector for the same period a situation Manpower said reflected a “wait and see” approach to the poll among the business community.
Despite the downbeat nature of the Scottish overall result, the report did point to positive signs within specific areas of the economy.
“There are some glimmers of hope in Scotland, with Edinburgh and Glasgow seeing moderate growth in customer service roles in the financial services sector,” Ms White said.
“While this is not enough to offset the dip into negative territory overall in Scotland, it is good news for strong candidates with the right skills and previous experience in the sector who are in demand for full-time, permanent roles.”
With the exception of Scotland, all of the UK regions recorded positive outlook measurements going into the second quarter.