Scotland May Lose 3,000 Finance Jobs in 2010, Item Club Says

Scottish financial-services companies may cut 3,000 jobs in the next year as the country’s economy lags behind that of the U.K. as a whole, Ernst & Young LLP’s Scottish Item Club said.

Scotland lost 4,300 finance positions in the 15 months through June and will suffer further staff reductions as banks restructure, the group, which uses the same economic model as the U.K. Treasury, said yesterday in an e-mailed statement.