The Scottish labour market appears to have weakened over August, according to latest data from the Bank of Scotland Report on Jobs.

The number of workers placed in permanent job roles fell for the second successive month, whilst growth of temporary billings weakened to the lowest level since September 2009. Bank of Scotland says this was due to weaker trends in demand for workers for both long and short-term jobs. Wages and salaries fell reflecting increased staff availability in August.

The Bank of Scotland Labour Market Barometer – a composite indicator designed to provide a single figure snapshot of labour market conditions – signalled deterioration for the third consecutive month. The Barometer posted 47.9 in August, down marginally from 48.1 in July and its lowest reading since October 2009.

Similarly, conditions in the UK labour market weakened during August as signalled by the KPMG/REC Report on Jobs. However, Scotland continued to underperform the UK overall by a considerable extent.