About public sector employment statistics: employment by organisation

Quality information

This section refers to the European Statistical System dimensions of quality to help users understand the strength and limitations of the Public sector in Scotland: employment by organisation (PSOE) statistics. 

Relevance

Relevance is about making sure our statistics meet the needs of users. 

User needs 

PSOE and Public Sector Employment in Scotland (PSE) statistics allow users to understand changes in public sector employment in Scotland at the national, sectoral, and individual organisational level.  

The data are used to strengthen the Scottish Government’s approach to pay and workforce management. The more detailed organisational level PSOE data were first published in March 2026 to align with the principles of Intelligent Transparency. 

 More information about the users and uses of PSE statistics is available in the background and quality information for public sector employment statistics. 

Accuracy and reliability 

How accurately and reliably these statistics portray reality. 

The accuracy of the PSOE and PSE statistics relies on data providers accurately reporting their employee headcount and full-time equivalent data to the Scottish Government and Office for National Statistics (ONS).  

More information about the processes in place to ensure a high degree of accuracy  and how revisions are handled is available in the background and quality information for public sector employment statistics.

For PSOE specifically, total and category sums of organisational data are validated against the equivalent quarter’s PSE total. Where differences arise, they are assessed by checking against rounding, classification changes and mergers of organisations.  

The data are also checked for any significant changes in an organisation’s headcount and FTE from the previous edition. 

Processed PSOE data are sent to each organisation for final quality assurance. Where corrections are identified by an organisation, the data are removed from the time series and a note is placed in the tables to notify users. Revisions to individual organisation data are made in line with the PSE revisions policy.

Timeliness and punctuality 

Timeliness is about releasing statistics in a timely and punctual manner. 

Data for the 2026 Q1 were first published in the Public Sector Employment in Scotland Statistics release on 18 June 2026. Information about the timeliness of PSE statistics is available in the background and quality information for public sector employment statistics.

PSOE data for 2026 Q1 was published on 20 August 2026. The publication lags PSE to give sufficient time for data processing, analysis, quality assurance, compilation and preparation of final data.  

Accessibility and clarity 

Accessibility and clarity are about: 

• the presentation of statistics in a clear and understandable form 

• the release of statistics in a suitable and convenient manner 

• availability and accessibility on an impartial basis with 

• availability and accessibility of supporting metadata and guidance 

These statistics are published online by the Scottish Government as accessible Excel data tables. Excel spreadsheets are produced using aftables following best practice. 

Methodological information and specific quality issues are included on these pages and links within. Metadata appropriate for users to consider comparability of statistics over time is included with all data releases, for example as notes on tables. This metadata is regularly reviewed and updated as necessary with each publication or more frequently as needed. 

We aim to use modern and accessible means of dissemination and communication of statistics and are committed to continual improvement. 

Coherence and comparability 

How consistent these statistics are over time and how comparable they are with those of other regions and countries. 

Employment data are collected and processed to produce PSE statistics consistent with National Accounts definitions. For this reason, PSOE data are consistent with the figures published in the following statistical products:

• Public Sector Employment Statistics (Scotland) 

• Scottish Government Workforce Statistics (Scotland) 

• Police officer quarterly strength statistics (Scotland) 

• Social Security Scotland workforce statistics (Scotland) 

• NHS Workforce Statistics (Scotland) 

• Public Sector Employment Statistics (UK) 

PSOE data  may not be consistent with workforce data published by public organisations themselves due to differences in timing, inclusion criteria, or definitions. For example, Quarterly Public Sector Employment Survey (QPSES) data compiled under National Accounts definitions may exclude on-call personnel where pay is irregular or availability‑based, whereas some organisations include these staff groups in their own reporting. For more information on ONS QPSES criteria see Quarterly Public Sector Employment Statistics inclusion criteria. 

The scope of this publication is devolved public sector organisations at 2026 Q1. This means that the set of included organisations does not change over time as it does in the  PSE publication for example. For this reason, summing PSOE data to obtain a total employment figure for a particular sub sector or category is not recommended. Category totals from the  PSE publication are included alongside PSOE data and should be used instead.