The latest labour market data for Scotland, which were the subject of yesterday's post allow us to examine the type of jobs that are on offer, or are being taken up, in current conditions.
The chart below shows where we are.
In general terms, what we see is a shift since the recession away from full-time, permanent, employees, towards, part-time, temporary, and self-employment.
By the middle of last year total employment was back to its pre-recession peak, yet the shift appears to be enduring. That is not wholly accurate, though, since it is clear that full-time employment is recovering. But we cannot be certain it will automatically move back to pre-recession levels.
The growth in temporary and self-employment is large in percentage terms but small in absolute numbers: an increase of 19,000 and 33,000 respectively since the start of the recession. While some might argue that the growth in self-employment is an indication of greater entrepreneurship in Scotland, I doubt it. Many of these self-employed jobs appear likely to be more 'needs must' for people who have lost full-time jobs. The growth of temporary jobs suggest high levels of certainty exist amongst employers but it may also be something of a reflection of a developing 'zero hours' culture.
So. all of this begs the question: are the new jobs as good as the old?
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