Fair Work Action Plan: indicator report 2025

Annex A: How the Fair Work Action Plan’s medium term indicators were informed by the headline actions

The Fair Work Evidence Plan included a ‘Theory of Change’ (Figure A1), illustrating how delivery of the headline actions would contribute towards the following medium-term outcomes:

• SG and other public sector organisations demonstrate leadership in Fair Work through embedded Fair Work practice
• Fair Work is embedded in all forms of public sector financial support
• Employers are supported to offer Fair Work
• People are supported to prepare for, access and sustain Fair Work

The Actions, outputs and outcomes set out in the theory of change correspond to, and follow on from, the actions and outcomes set out in the Fair Work Action Plan.

Some Actions are general and apply across labour market groups while others are targeted towards specific groups. Some Actions may also have directly attributable impacts towards outcomes while others may make a positive contribution, though direct attributional links may be challenging.

Inputs

• Scottish Government
• Agencies
• Local Authorities
• Public Bodies
• Third Sector
• Business Leaders
• Fair Work Convention
• STUC

Actions

• Public Sector leading by example on the Fair Work agenda including sharing and learning of practice by 2025 [Actions 1.1 - 1.5]
• SG continuing to use conditionality to further embed Fair Work in all forms of financial support [Actions 2.1 - 2.2]
• SG supporting employers to utilise resources and support available to embed Fair Work in their organisations. SG wworking collaboratively to develop these resources to support and build capability among employers, employability providers and partners [Actions 3.1-3.9]
• SG working collaboratively to develo resources to support workers to access, remain and progress in fair work [Actions 4.1-4.6]
• Fair Work priorities are taken forward across Government [Annex B]

Outputs

• Pulic sector collaboration around equality and fair work
• Learning and findings from reviews
• SG levers to embed fair work are in place
• Resources, guidance and support to employers
• High quality services and support for individuals

Medium term outcomes

• SG and other public sector organisations demonstrate leadership in Fair Work through embedded Fair Work practice
• Fair Work is embedded in all forms of public sector financial support
• Employers are supported to offer Fair Work
• People are supported to prepare for, access and sustain Fair Work

Long term outcomes

• Fair work is at the core of the approach any employer takes
• Maximise the opportunities presented by a fairly rewarded, healthy, diverse, and inclusive workforce
• Security of pay and benefits, health, safety and wellbeing, quality job design and work-life balance all have a positive effect on productivity

These Actions also informed the development of the set of medium-term outcome indicators. Building on the medium-term outcomes the Evidence plan outlined a suite of indicators for each of the four Medium-Term outcomes, Figure A2.

In some cases, the indicators can be thought of as illustrating progress of specific activities where an action in the Fair Work Action Plan has a direct impact on a Fair Work outcome (an ‘attributional’ indicator). However, other indicators may reflect progress towards Fair Work aspirations, where we cannot directly attribute impact from specific actions, but would anticipate a positive contribution.

Fair Work action plan medium term outcomes

SG and other public sector organisations demonstrate leadership in fair work trhough embedded fair work practice

• Monitoring equality and diversity - employer reported in public sector (specific organisations and sectors)
• Public sector employment by equality group
• % public sector employers publishing pay gap and action plan for gender, ethnicity and disability

Embed fair work in public sector financial support

• % of regulated contracts/grants awarded that include a Fair Work/ Fair Work First criterion

Employers are supported to offer fair work

• Number of employers with real Living Wage and Living Hours accreditation
• Low pay in fair work agreement sectors
• Trade union membership in fair work agreement sectors

People are supported to prepare for, access and sustain fair work

• Gender, disability and minority ethnic pay gaps
• Gender (intersectional), disability and minority ethnic
• Occupational segregation - gender
• Number of people supported through No One Left Behind and Fair Start Scotland, and progression (by equality and other groups of interest)