Research by the Scottish Investment Operations (SIO) suggested there was a growing problem of graduates ill-equipped to work in the sector. The sector manages funds worth £650bn, employs one in 10 Scottish workers - about 90,000 people - and accounts for 7% of GDP. Problem areas included communication, both verbal and written, and numeracy. The research involved 24 financial service companies and four recruitment agencies, including Abbey, Aviva, Clydesdale Bank, Barclays Wealth, RBS, and Tesco Bank.