The latest Bank of Scotland Report on Jobs has indicated a further improvement in Scottish labour market conditions in October.

Both permanent and temporary staff appointments increased, with Scottish recruitment agencies attributing this to greater client demand.

The rate of growth reported in permanent placements was the fastest since May. Average salaries rose further, while candidate availability increased again.

The Bank of Scotland Labour Market Barometer – a composite indicator designed to provide a single figure snapshot of labour market conditions – registered 53.9 in October, up from 53.3 in September, and signalled a solid improvement in Scotland’s job market, Bank of Scotland said.

The Barometer remained higher than the UK equivalent (which fell below the 50.0 no-change mark to indicate a deterioration in overall UK labour market conditions) and above the long-run series average.

Donald MacRae, chief economist at Bank of Scotland, said: “The October results signalled another month of improvement in Scotland’s labour market. Both the number of people employed and vacancies advertised grew maintaining the lead over the UK.