Top posts filled from outside Scotland

MORE than a quarter of Scottish financial services jobs paying over £50,000 a year went to candidates from outside Scotland, research revealed, as separate figures showed a pickup in employment north of the Border.

A survey by Change Recruitment found 28% of top-paying financial services jobs were filled from outside Scotland, but 88% of positions under the £50,000 salary threshold were taken up from within the country.

The sector employs around 95,000 people.

Andrew Welsh, associate director at Change Recruitment, said: “Scotland has a wealth of financial services expertise, second only to London in the UK.

“However, at a senior level clients are looking for a specific skill set and product knowledge that frequently has them looking further afield to attract talent.”

The latest Bank of Scotland Labour Market Barometer revealed permanent staff placements in April rose at the fastest rate for a year.

The number of temporary roles filled increased at the strongest pace since January 2011.

Donald Macrae, chief economist at Bank of Scotland, said: “This reinforces hopes that the slowdown in the Scottish economy experienced at the end of last year has not extended into 2012 and that we may yet see modest growth for the remainder of the year.”