Jobs boost as employers say they intend to up hirings

SCOTTISH employers signalled greater confidence over their hiring intentions for the next quarter compared with the last time they were quizzed, a major survey has shown,

However, confidence levels varied across sectors and cities, according to the latest Employment Outlook Survey from Manpower Group.

The survey gave a positive reading of six per cent when employers were asked whether they intend to hire additional workers or reduce the size of their workforce in the coming quarter, with the public sector moving into positive territory for the first time in more than a year. This compares with plus three per cent at the last survey.

The net employment outlook is calculated by subtracting those employers with plans to reduce staffing from those who intend to hire.

The survey put hiring intentions in the public sector up four points at two per cent, which Manpower notes follows a General Election result seen in part as a “rejection of austerity”.

Elsewhere, the report found large numbers of applicants to call centres. But while candidates with engineering skills were prized by employers, firms faced difficulties finding staff with the skills they need.

The market was buoyant in Glasgow and Edinburgh but less so in Aberdeen, which has been badly hit by the oil and gas sector downturn. PLANS to harness the force of the seas off Scotland to generate energy have been called into question again after a flagship tidal power scheme suffered a body blow although other renewables schemes are making progress.

The UK Government snubbed an application to provide support for the expansion of the MeyGen tidal development off northern Scotland, casting the future of the project into doubt.

Atlantis Resources was seeking support for a plan to install 49 turbines on the seabed of the Pentland Firth. which it believed had the potential to transform the tidal energy industry.

The company said the development would create 5,300 jobs, which would help compensate for the damage caused by the oil and gas downturn, and put Scotland at the forefront of a major global industry for decades.

Last month Atlantis said the first two turbines installed on MeyGen had achieved a world record performance, generating enough power for 2,000 Scottish homes.

However, the Government decided the tidal energy that would be produced at the MeyGen extension would be too expensive. It rejected Atlantis’s application for funding in the latest auction under the Contract For Difference (CFD) scheme.

Eleven projects that required less support per unit of output have won backing.

These include a windfarm in the Moray Firth and a biomass combined heat and power plant at Grangemouth.

Dong Energy won support to build what it reckons is the biggest offshore windfarm in the world off England.

London-listed Atlantis warned the rejection could derail efforts to develop the tidal energy industry in the UK.

Chief executive Tim Cornelius said: “It would be a travesty if the UK was to lose out on another emerging industry where it has ...

A turbine being readied for deployment on the MeyGen tidal energy project in the Pentland Firth.

a first-mover advantage and where the cost of energy is on a steep downward trajectory.”

Scottish wave power firms Pelamis and Aquamarine Energy called in administrators in November 2014 and October 2015 respectively.

Atlantis hopes to persuade the Government to think again.

MeyGen may not achieve anything like the 57-turbine scale hoped for. The company is unlikely to proceed beyond the demonstration phase of four turbines unless there is a change of heart at Westminster.

The company said: “In the near term, Atlantis will focus on delivering projects in France, Canada and South East Asia where tidal stream is well supported.”

Industry body Scottish Renewables said MeyGen was the only commercial multi-turbine tidal array to have gone into construction anywhere in the world.

Head of policy Michael Riley said: “We would urge ministers to commit to supporting this rapidlydeveloping sector so it is given the opportunity to drive down costs, as offshore wind has done.”

Three offshore wind projects won support in the auction, including Dong Energy’s Hornsea 2 project. Dong said this would be able to supply energy to the grid at a record low of £57.50 per megawatt hour, 50 per cent of the price supported in the previous CFD auction two years ago.

A spokesman for Atlantis said it made a very competitive bid based

on a two-thirds reduction in the level of revenue support required for the 49 turbine phase 1c versus phase 1a, without giving details.

Atlantis expects to have four turbines installed under phase 1a by the end of the quarter.

It has won support for a four turbine phase 1b under European schemes but may not proceed without backing for phase 1c.

The Moray East windfarm and Grangemouth Renewable Energy’s CHP plant will generate enough electricity to power 1.1 million homes in total. Utilities EDP and Engie will develop Moray East.

EDF learned last year it would get £92.50 per MWh for nuclear power from the Hinkley Point C plant. ISLE of Harris Distillers has secured a £1.7 million financial package from banking giant HSBC to support its expansion and back further investment in its maturing single malt whisky stock.

The distillery, already one of the largest employers on the Outer Hebridean island with 30 staff and plans further recruitment as it increases whisky production, was established in autumn 2015 and expects its first batch of The Hearach single malt to be ready for bottling from late 2020. The spirit is lying in cask on Harris.

Isle of Harris Distillers, which has as its primary objective the creation of sustainable employment for islanders, has been producing a premium gin to help fund its single malt whisky production.

This has been marketed direct to consumers online and to select independent restaurants and bars, with sales having surpassed expectations.

Managing director Simon Erlanger said: “HSBC recognised our mission to be a catalyst for economic growth for the island and to create even more sustainable jobs for local people. We are committed to Harris, whose water, weather and people are integral to the overall production of our high-quality spirits.”

Neal Tully, at HSBC, said: “The team at Harris Distillers instantly impressed us with their innovative approach”.