Research has revealed that Scottish companies have the strongest intention to add more jobs, despite the uncertainty created by the coronavirus crisis.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) reported that Scottish employers are expecting to add jobs, while those planning to cut positions saw a reduction from -17 six months ago to +4.
The findings were outlined in the latest Adecco Labour Market outlook today.
Less than half of Scottish employers, up from 41% six months ago, said they were looking to recruit in the first quarter of 2021.
The sectors that had the strongest hiring intentions across the UK were healthcare at 80%, financial services at 65% and hospitality at 36%.
The share of companies in Scotland planning to make redundancies is down from 32% six months ago to 10%.
The CIPD speculated that employer confidence may have increased due to a number of factors, including the Brexit agreement, the extension of the coronavirus job retention scheme and an anticipated economic recovery later this year.
Alex Fleming, region president for northern Europe at Adecco workforce solutions, said: "The start of 2021 has been challenging, with the UK entering into its third lockdown - it is still positive to see some signs of labour market recovery, with a clear rise in net employment intentions.
“Even with a Brexit deal and the vaccine rollout underway, there is uncertainty, particularly among the younger generation, when it comes to remaining in the UK for work.”
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