The recovery in Scotland’s labour market continued in April, which saw appointments and wage inflation rise, according to the latest Bank of Scotland Report on Jobs.

Staff appointments in both the permanent and temporary sectors rose at strong rates, while vacancy and pay growth both accelerated. However, the number of candidates available to take up positions continued to climb in both the long-term and short-term jobs markets, a clear sign of continued labour market slack.

The Bank of Scotland Labour Market Barometer – a composite indicator designed to provide a single figure snapshot of labour market conditions – highlighted the generally improving trend, posting the highest reading since the start of 2008.

At 54.3, from 54.2, the barometer signalled a pace of improvement that was below that seen across the UK as a whole, as has been the case in each of the past 14 months.