A majority of Scottish employers (71%) say they would take on workers without the necessary skills in order to meet staff shortages.

Despite the onset of recession, employers are struggling to get staff and are continuing to increase pay in order to attract and retain staff. They are also more likely to offer a pay rise to staff who hand in their notice to tempt them to stay.

Almost all firms (94%) of firms responding to the latest Salary & Recruiting Trends guide by recruitment firm Hays, said they had experienced skills shortages in the past 12 months.

Hays Scotland director, Keith Mason, said: “The survey showed that four out of five employers (83%) in Scotland are still planning to hire staff despite the uncertain economic climate, which is slightly higher than the number reported last year.”

The Hays survey shows that 56% of professionals in Scotland are planning to move jobs in the next 12 months.

However, this figure is quite low compared to the number of employers expecting to hire staff.

Over the last year 82% of employers in Scotland have increased their employees’ salaries or rates of pay, compared to just 57% who did so the year before.

However, over half (51%) say this is not only to retain staff but a direct result of the rise in the cost of living. Additionally, a greater proportion of employers offered staff a performance-related bonus this year (46%).

“Salary, flexible working, employee benefits – these are all important,” says Mason.

The Hays survey also reports that skills shortages are having a negative impact on productivity (42%), employee morale (41%) and the ability to deliver projects (42%).