The city of Perth is situated in central Scotland, on the banks of the River Tay. It was dubbed The Fair City after Sir Walter Scott (a Scottish author) made it famous with his book, Fair Maid of Perth. Around 44,820 inhabitants live in the city, which is a busy retail centre that regularly attracts shoppers and new businesses from the surrounding areas. It is also a popular location for doing business as its easily-accessible via Edinburgh, Dundee, and Aberdeen airports.
In its past, the city benefited from a major growth in the leather, linen, whisky, and bleach industries. These days, however, its economy is now far more reliant on the insurance and banking sectors which employ thousands of staff. Additional employment opportunities are constantly being created thanks to developments in insurance, renewable energy, health, leisure, transport, and manufacturing.
The city's major employers include the Royal Bank of Scotland, Aviva, and Scottish and Southern Energy, NHS Tayside, Perth College University of the Highlands and Islands, Stagecoach Group (the international transport company's headquarters are based here), and Perth and Kinross Council (which employs around 6,000 staff). Many of these businesses regularly advertise vacancies with national and local recruitment agencies. Around 3.3% of the population are unemployed, and the average annual salary is £29,544.
