Increased demand for contractors in Scottish finance and gaming sectors

Opportunities are increasing for contractors in Scotland’s financial and gaming industries, according to the Bank of Scotland’s Report on Jobs for July 2015.

The report, as cited on Contractor Calculator, reveals that July saw the fastest rise in contractor vacancies since January 2015, whilst contractor agency billings in Scotland have been rising for six months.

In contrast, contractor supply in Scotland has been in decline for 27 successive months. Contractor Calculator CEO Dave Chaplin said: “the gap between demand and availability continues to prove that there are plenty of gaps to fill for any UK contractors short of work.

“The growth is focused on the financial sector and the video games industry. The oil and gas sector centred around Aberdeen is in decline, with reducing demand for both contractors and employees.

Dundee, centre of the UK video games industry, is leading growth with the biggest increase in contractor agency billings and the highest increase in contractor rates. Contractor availability in financial centres Edinburgh and Glasgow sharply reduced, pointing to increased hiring.

Contractors in engineering and construction are most in demand according to the report, with skilled professionals in IT and computing being the next priority. Contractors in the hotel and catering industry are the third most wanted.

Donald McRae, chief economist at the Bank of Scotland, said: “Scotland’s labour market continued to improve in July. The number of people appointed to both permanent and temporary jobs rose in the month These results show an economy demonstrating both confidence and growth in the second half of 2015.”