Aberdeen was the worst performer in Scotland for staff appointments in August, a new report showed.
Against the backdrop of the oil price collapse, the Granite City recorded a drop in full-time job awards, while temp billings grew marginally, according to the latest Bank of Scotland Report on Jobs.
Across Scotland, permanent appointments increased, albeit at their slowest rate in four months. On a more positive note, the pace of temp appointments went up sharply.
The report by research firm Markit also identified a slowdown in permanent wage inflation in Scotland, though the rate of hourly pay growth picked up. But the picture was gloomier in Aberdeen, which suffered drops in both full-time and hourly pay.
The north-east was the only part of the country to register an increase in candidate availability as redundancies continued to befall the energy sector.
Dundee notched up the best figures in Scotland for appointments. It also enjoyed the fastest wage growth north of the border.
The bank’s Labour Market Barometer dipped two points to 56.2 in August, its lowest reading since May 2013.
The barometer measures areas such as levels of staff demand, employment and wages to create a single-figure snapshot of labour market conditions.
The figure is measured against a baseline of 50, with anything above representing an improvement and anything below a deterioration.
Donald MacRae, chief economist at the bank, said: “The number of people appointed to both permanent and temporary jobs rose in August as did the number of vacancies.
“The availability of candidates for jobs declined while starting salaries for permanent staff increased but at the slowest rate for two years. These results suggest the Scottish economy continues to grow but at a lower rate than this time last year.”