700 applications for a single job
MORE than 700 people applied for a single job at an Edinburgh food factory as coronavirus redundancies take hold across Scotland.
Employers still advertising for staff are reporting record levels of responses, with high demand for roles in deliveries, food production, finance, construction and IT.
The pandemic has already led to heavy job losses in the hospitality sector, with thousands more anticipated, though some industries are managing to weather the storm.
Recruitment agency Manpower received more than 700 applications for an £8.72-perhour job at the food processing plant, ten times more than for a similar role in November.
A £19,000-a-year junior administrator job in Glasgow was also very popular, with 300 applications in less than a week. Manpower
Operations director Jason Greaves said: ‘There is no denying we have seen an increase in applications for roles in recent months.
‘Ten times as many people as normal applied for the food production role near the capital and we have seen a three-fold increase in applicants for customer service roles.’
Meanwhile, Mackie’s of Scotland has increased its workforce from 72 to 91 since the start of lockdown due to demand for its ice cream.
The family-run Aberdeenshire firm received more than 500 applications for two recent living wage roles at its dairy near Inverurie.
Karin Mackie, marketing director at Mackie’s, said: ‘We’re certainly noticing a big increase in the number of applicants compared to normal times and want to do all we can to create temporary and long-term opportunities.’
Glasgow businessman Andrew Drummond, who runs a private delivery company that services chemists, said: ‘People are desperate to secure a job, no matter what it is or involves.’
John Moore, managing director of recruitment consultancy Hays, said: ‘Whilst there have been redundancies in areas such as hospitality and leisure, others such as construction, IT and finance remain short of candidates.’
Betsy Williamson, who runs Edinburgh recruitment firm Core-Asset Consultancy advertised 131 jobs in the finance sector between June and August. She said: ‘We’re seeing much more movement in the financial services, banking and investment sectors.’