Scottish staff crying out for re-training, but employers aren’t listening

Scottish staff crying out for re-training, but employers aren’t listening

Scottish workers are crying out for training and development to boost their efficiency and productivity, but employers are failing to provide the support. That’s according to the latest data from international recruitment expert, Robert Half.

Data from the firm’s latest Jobs Confidence Index (JCI) – an economic confidence tracker produced in partnership with the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) - revealed that 68% of workers in the country feel skills-based training is more beneficial to their job performance than a formal degree. A further 73% indicated the job-specific training is crucial for their career advancement.

However, according to Robert Half’s 2025 Salary Guide, less than half (45%) of employees in Scotland have access to in-house training and just 31% are granted paid time off to participate in external learning and development programmes.

As Reggie McMahon, Branch Director, Scotland, at Robert Half explains, failing to provide the training needed could be detrimental to businesses longer-term:

“Businesses are facing a productivity crisis that they are trying to address, particularly as the costs of employment look set to grow. However, it seems that there’s one core element that employers are overlooking, namely training and development of the workforce. Our data suggests that workers are crying out for the chance to upskill and improve their performance at work, but some companies aren’t offering this or creating an environment that supports continued learning and development.”

“Aside for the productivity boost that this can give to the country, there’s also the added benefit of filling skills gaps longer-term which businesses have been battling with for far too long. If firms want to set themselves and their people up for the best success in the New Year, they need to have a robust training programme to support both attraction and retention.”

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About the research
The Jobs Confidence Index
In partnership with the Centre for Economics and Business Research, the quarterly Robert Half Jobs Confidence Index is the most authoritative report on the key socio-economic factors influencing confidence in the UK labour market.

The Jobs Confidence Index (JCI) is made up of four equally weighted pillars, each measuring a factor which contributes to jobs confidence. These are:
1.Job security confidence
2.Pay confidence
3.Job search and progression confidence
4.Macroeconomic confidence
The JCI takes a positive or negative number, where numbers above zero signal that jobs confidence is higher than the long-term average, and numbers below zero show it is lower. The JCI can take any number, but it usually stands between -30 and 30, showing that confidence is close to a normal level when it is within this range.

2025 UK Salary Guide
The Robert Half 2025 UK Salary Guide provides information on starting salaries, hiring trends, popular jobs, and other market insights. Non-salary data referenced in the Salary Guide is based on an online survey developed by Robert Half and conducted by an independent research firm. During June and July 2024 Robert Half commissioned research amongst 1,500 respondents using an online data collection methodology. The respondents represent 500 hiring managers and 1,000 workers in finance and accounting, IT and technology, administrative and office support, marketing and creative, and the financial services industry. Respondents are drawn from a sample of SMEs to large private, publicly listed and public sector organisations across the UK.

About Robert Half
Robert Half (NYSE: RHI) is the world’s first and largest specialised talent solutions and business consulting firm, connecting highly skilled job seekers with rewarding opportunities at great companies. We offer contract talent and permanent placement solutions in the fields of finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, and administrative and customer support, and we also provide executive search services. Robert Half is the parent company of Protiviti, a global consulting firm that delivers internal audit, risk, business and technology consulting solutions. In the past 12 months, Robert Half, including Protiviti, has been named one of the Fortune® Most Admired Companies™ and 100 Best Companies to Work For and a Forbes Best Employer for Diversity. Explore talent solutions, research and insights atwww.roberthalf.com/gb/en.