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Accessing talent in Scotland

Thinking of locating your business in Scotland? Discover how we can help you access the exceptionally skilled, educated, and reliable workforce that awaits you.

Did you know?

Scotland's lower business costs mean you can save on staffing while still offering competitive rates of pay that attracts top talent.

  • Lower staff costs

    Businesses in Scotland enjoy savings in staff costs thanks to our lower costs of doing business.

  • Real Living Wage

    In Scotland we promote a Real Living Wage of £10.90 an hour, which is now paid voluntarily by more than 3000 employers. 

  • High rates of pay

    Scotland's median annual salary and weekly and hourly rates of pay are in the top five highest in the UK.

Hire in Scotland

Scotland's highly skilled workforce is internationally recognised for its reliability, cost-competitiveness, and excellent training.

Our world-class universities produce a rich pool of graduates, with over half the workforce holding further education qualifications. And our global community welcomes talent from around the world, creating a diverse workforce rich in skills, experience, and languages.

If you're looking to hire staff once you're set up in Scotland, there are lots of ways to access this rich talent pool:

Scotland's top skills

Scotland has a global reputation for our innovation, talent and expertise – so it's no surprise that our people are leading the way in forward-looking industries such as offshore wind, software and technology, hydrogen, space technology and clean heat.

Scotland's graduates have degrees in a variety of subjects, including the sciences, medicine, engineering and technology, creative arts, data science, law, and languages.

These graduates go on to innovate in our thriving industries, which include chemical sciences, cyber security, data and data science, games and creative industries, and energy systems.

Explore all our industries 

Bring your employees with you

If you’re bringing over your own staff with you when you relocate, they’ll likely need a visa to work here. A common visa option for companies who are transferring staff from an overseas location to a Scottish location is the Global Business Mobility route.

Scotland's migration service

Find out more about this route, as well as other visa routes that are available, from Scotland's Migration Service. This information will also help you if you’re thinking of hiring from outside of Scotland once you get here.

Learn more about Scotland's Migration Service on Scotland.orgopens in a new window 

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Need some help?

If you have any questions about accessing Scotland's talent and want to talk with one of our advisers, we’re ready to help.

Phone: +44 300 013 2734opens in a new window