Despite increasing unemployment and savage job cuts there remain jobs that Scots are simply unwilling to take on.
Migrant workers have become vital to the Scottish economy, filling a void in areas where there are not enough Scots to fill the posts.
It appears that despite the current economic climate and the prospect of further cuts to jobs and benefits, employers have seen little or no demand from a local workforce.
Thousands have come to Scotland in recent years mostly from eastern European countries such as Poland and Bulgaria to take on various often low paid jobs.
Among the sectors to benefit from their work has been the Scottish soft fruit and field vegetables which have for many years had to depend on non-UK migrant workers.
Their importance was highlighted in the summer of 2008 when a real shortfall in migrant workers meant that Scottish farms struggled to bring in certain harvests.
In the past, employers across Tayside and Fife have indicated that the sort of jobs they do are the type that locals do not want.
A source at one fruit farm, who asked not to be named, told The Courier, “One hundred per cent of our staff are from eastern Europe.
“We don’t get so much as a single inquiry from local people or Scots in general.
“I think that’s down to the fact that the work is simply too hard.
“It’s seasonal so staff come and go. We have perhaps 100 employees always here and these are supplemented by additional workers during the summer.
“It’s also very much weather dependent and, of course, dependent on the fruit.
“One day you could be working from 4am until 4pm and the next you might find that nothing is ready to be picked and so there is no work and no pay.”
“There can be opportunities for people if they want them, but it’s hard work and it’s not for everyone.”