Three-quarters of unemployed 'would take job they are overqualified for'

Jobseekers: Survey found many are confident of finding employment.

Over three-quarters of Scottish jobseekers would take a job they were over-qualified for to secure work, a survey suggests.

Nearly half said they would take a pay cut, while about three-fifths said they would take part-time work.

The research suggests that Scottish jobseekers are willing to compromise to meet the demands of a stagnant labour market, according to job listings released by firm Totaljobs on Thursday.

The company`s researchers linked this lowering of expectations to a corresponding rise in jobseekers who feel confident they will find a job in the next year, up from 44% in 2011 to 62% this year.

But Totaljobs has warned this may be "a job which they need, but not one which they necessarily want".

The survey comes almost two weeks after Citizens Advice Scotland revealed that jobcentre staff have advised jobseekers to leave university degrees off of their CVs and "dumb down" to find work.

Steve Clarke, regional manager for Scotland at Totaljobs, said: "A rise in jobseeker confidence in Scotland is a result of people doing all they can to get a job, from taking a job they're over-qualified for, doing part-time work due to a lack in full-time positions and travelling large distances to get to work.

"The tough economy means that often jobseekers get a job which they need, but not one which they necessarily want."

The percentage of unemployed people out of work for longer than 12 months has fallen by almost 1% to 16%.

Totaljobs said the rising confidence in Scotland highlights regional gaps as the north of England continues to struggle in contrast to the south, Scotland and Wales.

Nearly one in five jobseekers in the north of England are unsure if they will be employed within the next 12 months.

By contrast 68% of jobseekers in London are confident they will find employment within the next year.

Mr Clarke added: "The collapse of the heavy industries has hit areas such as the north east hard, which combined with the demise of the public sector in the north west, means any job creation in these parts of the country will require a huge amount of investment structurally, in order to make these areas more appealing to the private sector."

Totaljobs surveyed 7273 jobseekers throughout the UK, with 659 from Scotland taking part.

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