Report calls for more Scots to be offered flexible work

Companies who do not offer employees flexible working fail to recruit and retain the best talent, a report has said.

Demand for flexible jobs massively outstrips supply, according to recruitment agency Timewise.

The Scottish government said flexible working boosts productivity and is good for workers.

The report said 11.9% of jobs are advertised as flexible, while 34% of jobless Scots sought flexible work.

The data - the Flexible Jobs Index (FJI) - came from analysis carried out by Timewise of more than 230,000 job adverts.

It is the first report of its kind looking specifically at the jobs market in Scotland.

The government and the charity Family Friendly Working Scotland said it showed there is now a significant bottle-neck where Scottish workers and would-be-workers are unable to find the job or career progression they want with the flexibility they need.

Lisa Gallagher, joint programme director of Family Friendly Working Scotland, said most employers were also missing out on recruiting and retaining the best talent and from getting the most from their employees.

She said: "When people are able to happily combine home and work life they are much more likely to be engaged, motivated and productive at work - giving it their all.

"Thinking differently and innovatively about how work is designed will help Scottish businesses to prosper.

"Employers should be thinking about the best way to get a job done rather than assuming it should fit into the traditional 9-5 model."

Diana, 33, from Cumbernauld, works in digital marketing and has been looking for a permanent flexible role for the past year to enable her to look after her two-year-old daughter Orla.

She said: "Recruitment agencies have told me they'd heard of me and that I'm very well regarded. But as soon as I mention my need for flexibility, I just get doors closed in my face.

"So many employers are insistent on having someone in the office Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm and can't conceive of anything else.

"I'm looking for a four-day-a-week role and I've even offered to do full-time hours compressed into four days. But I've still had rejections. There's no opening to even have a conversation about it."

The research revealed higher-paid jobs are less likely to be advertised flexibly.

And it showed a quarter of jobs (24%) paying less than the £20,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) were advertised flexibly compared to 8.9% paying £35,000-£59,000.

Even when jobs were advertised flexibly, nearly two thirds (61.6%) were part-time. Other flexible working options, such as flexible hours and home working, were mentioned far less frequently.

More than a quarter of medical and health roles (26.9%) were advertised with flexible options, compared to 2.8% of roles in facilities and construction.

Emma Stewart, joint chief executive of Timewise, said: "Designing jobs to be open to flexible working, from the point of hire, needs to be part of the debate on how Scottish employers can help raise living standards for the thousands who need to work flexibly.

"Businesses consistently fail to realise how important flexibility is to people when looking for a new role, often resulting in the best talent having to trade down and take jobs way beneath their level of skill and ability."

Scottish ministers have launched a £10m flexible workforce development fund that will allow employers to apply for up to £10,000 each to deliver in-work training.

The fund will be run in partnership with colleges and aims to make skills development available to staff and comes in response to the introduction of the UK Apprenticeship Levy.

Minister for Employability and Skills, Jamie Hepburn said: "This unique pilot scheme will enable Scotland's employers to make training and skills development available to their staff, addressing knowledge gaps and improving productivity."

He added: "Training and skills development is beneficial for employees of all ages and levels and I would encourage all organisations subject to the levy in Scotland to get in touch with our colleges to learn more about the opportunities available to them."