It is impossible to talk about July without talking about the main focal point – Glasgow 2014. This great event dominated conversation, roads and pretty much everything in Scotland for the 11 days. But it has also left behind an inspiring legacy which will remain for a long time to come.
Its main legacy for me is the sense of pride that Scotland felt at pulling off these games. The organisers and the 46,500 people who were involved in the games did us proud. Few words stand out when I think of the games themselves – inclusion, friendly and by god what a recruitment effort!
Glasgow 2014 was undoubtedly inclusive in every capacity. The sporting events themselves were without exception, the para athletes were in the same pool, on the same court and in the same field as the able bodied athletes. The way it should be, and a great source of inspiration for all of us who watched these athletes triumph in spite of any disabilities they may have.
Recruitment for the games involved a huge undertaking. Critically they had to ‘hire’ 46,500 people to organise and run the spectacle. WOW, what a task. It took 15,000 volunteers, 1,500 paid staff on the organising committee and 30,000 contractors to pull Glasgow 2014 off. The single largest recruitment campaign in Scotland in peace time!
Volunteers included people who were seconded from their jobs, used their own annual leave, school leavers and importantly people who were looking to return to the workplace. Regardless of their circumstances I am sure everyone was up skilled by taking part. Individuals were trained and provided with certificates which will help them develop or obtain a career. Another fine example of inclusion and legacy at play.
Innovation was central to the opening ceremony citing some of Scotland’s greatest gifts to the world – steam engine, the tyre, the telephone, penicillin and of course the television. I have been lucky enough to speak with some of the core members behind Glasgow 2014’s recruitment effort and they should be acknowledged for the innovations they had to create to get the job done. While this effort will have taken place largely before July it contributed immeasurably to the great display we witnessed over July and the beginning of August. So we shouldn’t forget to say well done, and I suppose this ode is to them, the unsung heroes of the commonwealth.
In July the Scottish market had in excess of 99k jobs advertised online, with around 36% of that accounting for permanent positions. As with most months the top five sectors in terms of volumes of jobs were:
Engineering/Manufacturing
IT
Sales
Director/Management
Property/Construction
It is good to see management vacancies in such vast numbers. During the recession these middle layers are often first to go, and I see it as a sign of market confidence that employers are now looking to put this back in anticipation of growth. In terms of growth the top five sectors which are growing in job volumes year on year were:
Legal – up 76%
Health & Social Care – 73%
Retail – 62% (commonwealth benefit?)
Supply Chain & Logistics – 57%
Property & Construction – 56%
Finally I should wrap this up by summarising in my usual Scottish way, well done Scotland, well done Glasgow you were the talk o’ the steamie for all the right reasons in July. Gaun yersel!
