Fair Work Action Plan: intersectional impacts 2025

1. Core actions

Action: Equal Pay Audit

The Scottish Government will undertake an equal pay audit examining pay gaps by gender, disability, race and age by March 2024. We will act on findings to review and refresh our recruitment and retention policies to address workplace inequalities by end of 2025.

Information and guidance

Audit findings will be published and linked via the Fair Work digital hub.

Delivery

The aim of the audit is to directly support Scottish Government employees by identifying issues within Scottish Government recruitment and progression policies that could be a barrier for women, racialised minorities, disabled staff and workers aged over 50.

Exploration

The equal pay audit was conducted to gather information on the Scottish Government workforce based on protected characteristics.

Impact of action

Findings from the audit will be used to inform policy approaches in the delivery of the Scottish Government Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.

Action: Equalities and Human Rights Committee inquiry report

Work with equality organisations and public sector employers to co-deliver a series of engagements with the public sector by end of 2023 to support employers to address the recommendations of the Scottish Parliament Equalities and Human Rights Committee inquiry into race equality, employment and skills, which recommended that employers assess their organisation’s understanding of racism and structural barriers; and that employers subject to the Public Sector Equality Duty as a minimum, voluntarily record and publish their ethnicity pay gap and produce an action plan to deliver identified outcomes.

Information and guidance

A summary report of each session will be published on CEMVO's website. The session in 2024 on building safe and effective staff networks for racialised minorities has information for employers on how to provide a safe environment for racialised minority staff who experience compounded barriers, such as racism and sexism.

Delivery

Delivery of the sessions involved a knowledge exchange between employers, including the sharing of case studies which covered the concept of intersectionality and how to take intersecting barriers into account in policy and practice. Delivery also involved promoting the Anti-Racist Employment Strategy as an employer resource, which contains case studies on how employers can address intersecting inequalities. Specific examples include action to understand the experiences of women, including racialised minority women working in Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths (STEM), such as the overlap of racism, sexism and ageism.

The sessions were planned and delivered in collaboration with CEMVO Scotland, which has knowledge of intersectionality and intersectional barriers experienced by racialised minorities.

Exploration

The annexes of the Anti-Racist Employment Strategy provide information on intersectionality as a concept and guidance on practical implementation.

Intersectional employment outcomes from Scottish Government statistics publications, including the data supplementary paper were published alongside the strategy.

Intersectional data in the above papers comes from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Currently there are delays to the Transformed Labour Force Survey (TLFS), which seeks to provide better intersectional data.

Impact of action

This action seeks to support and encourage employers to take an anti-racist and intersectional approach to policy and practice. Feedback from the sessions has been positive, with an average of 93% of participants across the sessions saying the event was helpful and provided suggestions for actions they can adopt in their organisation.

As this action was targeted at employers and driven by evidence of employer need, impact on individuals/groups is dependent on employers taking action as a result of the sessions.

Action: Implement National Equality Outcomes

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and Scottish Funding Council to implement National Equality Outcomes across protected characteristics (including disability, ethnicity, sex) from Sept 2022 to Sept 2025, in order to:

• Improve student success and retention rates
• Ensure access to and confidence in support for students and staff that fosters good relations and tackles prejudice and discrimination
• Increase diversity of staff in the workforce and on College Boards and University Courts

The EHRC and Scottish Funding Council to develop a set of Scottish Funding Council annual thematic reviews to inform and direct improvement.

Delivery

Work to implement the National Equality Outcomes includes all protected characteristics.

Action: Establish senior leadership networks

Work with partners to establish senior leadership networks to build capability and understanding of racism and racial inequality in the workplace by the end of 2023.

Information and guidance

This action is still in progress and the outputs are not yet confirmed. It is likely that any outputs would be featured on the Fair Work digital support hub.

Delivery

The work is still in its infancy but will engage leadership on how to build inclusive cultures that are anti-racist and take an intersectional approach.

Exploration

The annexes of the Anti-Racist Employment Strategy provide information on intersectionality as a concept and guidance on practical implementation.

Intersectional employment outcomes from Scottish Government statistics publications, including the data supplementary paper were published alongside the strategy.

Intersectional data in the above papers comes from the ONS. Currently there are delays to the TLFS, which seeks to provide better intersectional data.

Impact of action

This action seeks to support senior leaders to build an anti-racist workplace culture, underpinning operational policy and practice. Impact on leaders can be measured through feedback and level of engagement. Impact on individuals/groups will be dependent on leaders applying the learning.

Action: Statistic dissemination sessions

We will work with Scottish Government analysts to run a series of official statistics dissemination sessions with interested stakeholders to help inform their understanding of the labour market landscape in relation to Fair Work. Where available data allows, this will include considering intersectionality.

Information and guidance

A recording and slides from the official statistics dissemination sessions will be made available. These would include intersectional labour market data that employers could refer to, including ethnicity pay and employment gaps broken down by gender.

Delivery

The action is to hold sessions to share labour market data, including intersectional data, with employers. Engagement is ongoing with Office of the Chief Economic Adviser (OCEA) officials to scope what data is available, and with employers to understand what data would be useful for them to access.

Exploration

This action is dependent on the data available from the TLFS, which is currently delayed. Once the TLFS is up and running there will be an exploration of what data is available to share with employers.

Impact of action

This action is currently paused pending further updates to the TLFS. The action targets employers and seeks to raise their awareness of labour market data to inform their policies/practices.

Impact on individuals/groups is dependent on the degree to which employers take action as a result of attending the session.

Action: Extend conditionality

As part of the Bute House agreement and the National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET), and within the limits on devolved competence, we will:

• Extend Fair Work conditionality with clear standards and minimum requirements to cover all forms of Scottish Government support within the limits of devolved competence. We will use all levers at our disposal to deliver on this commitment.
• Consider how we can extend conditionality to the other Fair Work principles, including opportunity, security, respect and fulfilment by 2025.

Information and guidance

Updated Fair Work First Guidance is available.

Delivery

The Scottish Government has committed to undertake an evaluation of Fair Work First in 2025-26, working with the Fair Work Convention and engaging stakeholders, including equality stakeholder groups, to understand how effectively this policy is being delivered and what more can be done to strengthen the Fair Work First approach.

Impact of action

Fair Work First is not targeted at particular groups of workers; however, low-paid workers are most likely to benefit due to the requirement to pay at least the real Living Wage. In addition, the desirable criteria also include that employers take action to address pay and employment gaps that affect women, racialised minorities and disabled people in particular. As such, improved practices in this space are intended to benefit these groups of workers, including people with multiple protected characteristics.

Action: Update Fair Work First

By 2023 update the Fair Work First criteria to better reflect priority action required to address labour market inequalities faced by women, people from racialised minorities, and disabled people, ensuring people can enter, remain and progress in work.

Information and guidance

Updated Fair Work First Guidance is available.

Delivery

Prior to publication of the updated Fair Work First guidance, proposed wording was shared with equality stakeholders, including Close the Gap and the Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary Sector Organisations (CEMVO) in May 2024. Feedback was considered and incorporated to agree the final wording.

Exploration

Close the Gap and CEMVO provided expertise and detailed feedback during the development of the updated guidance.

Impact of action

The intended impact of this action is that more employers implement Fair Work practices with a specific focus on addressing workplace inequalities for women, people from racialised minorities, disabled people, and the over 50s. This supports wider actions around reducing pay and employment gaps for women and disabled people and improving labour market outcomes for racialised minorities.

Action: Fair Work resource hub

By end 2023 we will work with partners to join up provision of advice and support for employers by establishing a central Fair Work resource, making it as simple and efficient as possible for employers to use. This would enhance and consolidate existing material to ensure employers have a clear route to access guidance, support and advice on Fair Work. It will involve:

• Advice and tools to promote the benefits of Fair Work and workplace equality
• Good practice case studies
• Advice on networking and establishing peer support groups
• Collaboration with existing trusted business support services and partners

Information and guidance

The Fair Work digital hub was launched in April 2025. It contains a dedicated section on diverse, equal and inclusive workplaces, as well as having diversity, equality and inclusion woven throughout.

The hub will be further developed to better support employers to address barriers faced by intersectional groups. Partner organisations with expertise on intersectionality were consulted in development and are signposted to via the hub.

Delivery

The digital hub aims to support employers across Scotland to adopt practices that reduce barriers for intersectional groups. Engagement with partner organisations that have expertise in intersectionality continues to inform development of content, and the hub signposts to several of these organisations.

Existing content on the digital hub has been updated to be more inclusive and to recommend practices such as inclusive recruitment.

Exploration

Officials consulted widely on content before developing articles for the hub. Content around gender pay gaps, supporting disabled people into work and removing barriers for racialised minorities in particular is informed by relevant research and data.

Impact of action

The action is targeted at employers to build their awareness of steps they can take to adopt Fair Work practices in their organisations. As such, the impact on individuals/groups will be dependent on employers taking action in response to these resources.

Resource hub - Anti-Racist Employment Strategy Actions

• Establish a platform for exchanging learning and good operational practice among employers – practice that is anti-racist and intersectional in its approach
• Undertake evaluation of the 'Minority Ethnic Recruitment Toolkit' to ensure it remains fit for purpose (anti-racist and intersectional) and is applied across the public sector. Consider augmenting the toolkit to include other accessible support sources, including those for retention and progression
• Promote and disseminate learning and practices where employers have shown improvement in their end-to-end processes to increase representation of racialised minorities

Information and guidance

Outputs from employer practice, notably the Workplace Equality Fund projects that focused on racialised minorities, will be included in the Fair Work digital hub. This will include, where available, outputs/learning on any intersectional approaches used in the projects

The Minority Ethnic Recruitment Toolkit, once updated, seeks to place greater emphasis on compounded barriers experienced by racialised minorities in the recruitment processes. It will also be included in the hub.

Delivery

The updated Minority Ethnic Recruitment Toolkit seeks to support employers to address recruitment barriers for racialised minorities. Equality stakeholders, including those with intersectional expertise, will be engaged following evaluation findings in order to inform the update.

Particular barriers to be explored include those experienced by racialised minority women where data shows they experience worse outcomes. For example, guidance will be provided to employers on how to remove barriers experienced by this group, such as name bias and gender bias, and will suggest steps such as blind sifting and diverse recruitment panels to reduce risk of bias.

Exploration

Minority ethnic women's experiences in Scotland 2024: intersectional evidence review

Anti-Racist Employment Strategy - annexes include intersectional case studies.

Impact of action

As this action is targeted at employers to build their awareness of steps they can take to remove barriers for racialised minorities, impact on individuals/groups is dependent on employers taking action as a result of the outputs developed from this action.

Action: Fair Work Communications Plan

Develop a communications strategy to highlight and promote the benefits of Fair Work and a diverse workplace to employers including:

• Adoption of payment of at least the real Living Wage
• Effective voice channels
• tackling the gender pay gap
• Recruiting, employing and supporting disabled people and workers from racialised minorities

The strategy will be informed by sectoral and regional analysis and utilise a range of channels.

Information and guidance

The Fair Work digital hub signposts to a large range of stakeholder websites, many with content around supporting workers with intersectional identities.

Delivery

The communications strategy aims to promote the five dimensions of Fair Work to employers, encouraging them to embed Fair Work practices, with the aim of supporting people with various barriers into and in employment. Targeted communications campaigns are shared via stakeholder networks, reaching a broad range of employers with diverse levels of knowledge and need.

Exploration

Engagement with stakeholders from equality organisations informs messaging used in Fair Work campaigns.

Impact of action

The aim is to increase the number of employers adopting Fair Work practices. This should improve workplace culture for people with intersectional identities as well as reducing barriers to access, retain and progress in work.

Action: Real Living Wage, Real Living Hours

Increase the number of people who have security of pay and contract by encouraging employers to seek real Living Wage and Living Hours accreditation. We will achieve this through our continuing support of Living Wage Scotland to achieve an additional 5,000 workers uplifted annually to the real Living Wage through increases in employer accreditation.

Delivery

Evidence of uplifts related to real Living Wage (rLW) and real Living Hours (rLH) accreditation is taken from unidentifiable payroll data, so it is not possible to gather data on specific groups benefiting from an uplift to rLW.

Work is ongoing with Poverty Alliance to explore the practicalities going forward to obtain from employers a breakdown of staff receiving an uplift to rLW by gender, disability, and ethnicity.

Impact of action

Sectors with higher prevalence of low pay or precarious work tend to have a higher proportion of workers with intersectional identities. Uplifting workers to rLW or providing secure and dependable working patterns through rLH has the potential to improve outcomes for people with intersectional identities.

Action: Learning from Workplace Equality Fund

By the end of 2025 we will review and disseminate learning and best practice from the conclusion of the 2022-24 Workplace Equality Fund.

Information and guidance

One of the purposes of this work is to identify outputs and products for the Fair Work digital hub. Many of the Workplace Equality Fund (WEF) projects were highly intersectional in nature and should be of use to a wide range of stakeholders.

Exploration

The WEF projects were front-line and aimed at learning lessons from delivering change in real-world situations, so their value as research is limited by their narrow but deep focus. Given the highly intersectional nature of the projects, it is hoped that evidence will emerge that will help employers working with or seeking to work with people with intersectional identities.

Impact of action

The WEF projects had specific impacts among the participants in the first instance. Learning from the projects will be disseminated more widely through case studies and other outputs that should be of interest to a range of employers, encouraging the adoption of changes within their workplaces.

Action: Good practice guidance around the Equality Act 2010

We will develop and promote good practice guidance for employers to showcase successful application of positive action measures as per the Equality Act 2010, giving particular attention to sex, pregnancy, race, age and disability by end 2024.

Information and guidance

Guidance on the use of Positive Action already exists and has been produced by organisations such as EHRC. However, Positive Action schemes have typically not been intersectional in scope and given the need to evidence under-representation this is not easy to achieve. The Scottish Government will seek to promote intersectionality through this action.

Delivery

A workshop will be held to explore what practical measures the Scottish Government can take to encourage application of Positive Action in late 2025. The workshop will consider how employers can implement Positive Action schemes that are intersectional in nature, and what the Scottish Government can do to support and promote this.

Exploration

There is little evidence on Positive Action that covers intersectionality. The EHRC guidance and the Code of Practice contain no mention of intersectionality. The Scottish Government will seek to address this when considering its approach.

Impact of action

Increased use of Positive Action should help under-represented groups to find, sustain and progress in meaningful, rewarding employment. Given the provisions of the Equality Act 2010 it is difficult to say whether there would be a specifically intersectional benefit, but intersectionality can certainly be addressed through Positive Action schemes.

Action: Flexible Working

We will continue to promote existing and new advice and guidance on the benefits of flexible working to organisations across Scotland by working with public bodies to assess provision and highlight best practice through this parliamentary term (by 2026).

Information and guidance

Outputs from the Fair Work Economic Inactivity pilot projects funded in 2025-26 will be showcased on the Fair Work digital support hub. Stakeholders involved in the projects can also be signposted to via the hub.

Delivery

The Fair Work Economic Inactivity pilot projects aim to support people who are already in work to stay in work. These will focus on improving flexible working and helping those with disabilities or health issues. This may include workers with intersectional identities by supporting older disabled people or older women with caring responsibilities for example. To support development of these projects the Scottish Government has engaged with a number of stakeholders including Flexibility Works, Timewise, Working Families, Business in the Community and the Scottish Union for Supported Employment (SUSE).

Exploration

Flex for Life 2025 report

Flex for Life 2025 Parent's report

An Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) on the Fair Work Economic Inactivity pilot projects will be published in the coming months.

Impact of action

The projects are specifically focused on supporting groups that evidence indicates face barriers in the labour market and risk being or becoming economically inactive, such as women, disabled people, racialised minorities and workers over 50. We recognise that these protected characteristics intersect, and cumulative impacts can compound the barriers faced in entering, remaining in and progressing in Fair Work.

For example, long term sickness is the main reason for inactivity among older people (50-64s) at 40.1%. By supporting employers to implement smarter, more predictable, and more inclusive flexible working practices, this project will help prevent avoidable workforce exits, improve job retention, and enable more people to stay in and return to work.

Menopause symptoms can also have a significant impact on women at work. By providing support and flexibility, employers can help women manage their symptoms and maintain their productivity.

Action: Anti-racist workplace training framework

Working with employers, equality stakeholders and training providers, develop and implement an intersectional and anti-racist workplace training framework by 2025.

Information and guidance

The completed anti-racist workplace training framework will be included in the digital hub and include support for employers on building anti-racism cultures through training. The framework will signpost to further information on anti-racism, intersectionality and stakeholders with expertise in both.

Delivery

The first draft of the framework was informed by a stakeholder advisory group, including those covering multiple protected characteristic groups who could provide an overview of the multiple barriers racialised minorities are likely to experience. These include barriers experienced by racialised minority women, racialised minority disabled people, racialised minority young people and racialised minorities from the LGBT+ community.

Exploration

Community engagement was undertaken to inform the framework, using intersectionality-focused resources and case studies in the Anti-Racist Employment Strategy.

Impact of action

This action is targeted at employers to support them to build anti-racism cultures through training and address existing challenges to training. Impact on individuals/groups will be dependent on action taken by employers.

Action: Sectoral Fair Work Agreements

We will work with employers and trade unions in sectors where low pay and precarious work can be most prevalent, to develop sectoral Fair Work Agreements that deliver improved employment outcomes such as payment of the real Living Wage, better security of work, and wider Fair Work First standards. Intersectional impact is outlined for individual sectors below.

Adult Social Care

Working with social care provider representatives, employers, local authorities and trade unions to develop and implement improvements in pay and working conditions in adult social care.

Information and guidance

Fair Work in Scotland’s Social Care Sector 2019 - The Fair Work Convention

Announcement of real Living Wage pay for Social Care Workers

Delivery

All workstreams are equality assessed and all workers in Social Care are actively within scope of all policies, which are continually assessed with sector stakeholders.

Workstream One (Pay) works with stakeholders to enable a minimum rate of pay for workers delivering direct care in commissioned social care services, of at least the real Living Wage. It ensures that annual uplifts are delivered quickly into workers' salaries.

Workstream Two (Terms & Conditions) has developed a framework of proposed minimum terms and conditions reflecting Fair Work principles, and initial priority areas to be progressed. Due to budget constraints, we are currently unable to implement these proposed minimum standards.

Workstream Three (Effective Voice) has developed an Effective Voice (EV) Framework to support employers and employees to assess the standards of EV in their workplaces and take steps to enhance it. This is currently being piloted.

Workstream Four (Sectoral Bargaining) is making good progress around developing a negotiating framework with key stakeholders. This work is complex but, once developed and introduced, it will help underpin improvements in pay, and terms and conditions, across the social care workforce.

Exploration

There are currently no wider intersectionality-focused resources or case studies published in relation to Adult Social Care in Scotland.

Impact of action

All policies within Fair Work in Adult Social Care cover the entire sector for all workers delivering direct care in commissioned services. The intention that all workers receive the real Living Wage every year ensures that all workers benefit from the policy.

Construction

The Construction Leadership Forum (CLF) worked closely with industry to establish the Scottish Construction Accord, a shared vision for the industry and the public sector including key areas such as Fair Work.

The Accord establishes a dynamic collaboration of the Scottish public sector and the whole of the construction industry to improve outcomes for the businesses and workforce which make up the construction and associated industries, and from the industry for its clients, the economy, wider society and the environment.

Information and guidance

The CLF website provides information on work it is carrying out, including signposting to the Transformation Action Plan, National Construction Equity and Inclusion Plan, and the work of the Fair Work Working Group.

Culture

The Scottish Government established the Culture Fair Work Taskforce in 2024, following a commitment in the Culture Strategy Action Plan (December 2023), with independent freelancer Briana Pegado appointed as Chair in April 2024.

The aim of the taskforce is to consider and develop actions to further implement Fair Work in Scotland’s creative industries, putting forward recommendations for a sectoral Culture Fair Work Agreement. This aim also supports delivery of the National Strategy for Economic Transformation commitment to develop “sectoral Fair Work Agreements, in partnership with industry and trade unions, that deliver payment of the real Living Wage, better security of work, and wider Fair Work standards”.

Information and guidance

The below resources (hosted on Creative Scotland's website) are good examples of promoting Fair Work in the context of the unique landscape of Scotland's creative industries to best inform employers and workers.

The Illustrated Guide to Fair Work

The Illustrated Guide for Freelancers

Delivery

The Culture Fair Work Taskforce membership includes public bodies, trade unions, creative businesses and freelance representatives. Many members have shared their personal and professional experiences of intersectional barriers in Scotland's creative industries. To further develop understanding guest presenters have been invited to meetings, all of which have touched on different intersectional barriers in line with the five Fair Work dimensions. To date presenters have included the STUC, Glasgow Life, The Living Wage Foundation, Museums Galleries Scotland, the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) and independent freelance representatives. This has helped members to understand the systemic barriers intersectional groups can experience. It has also provided useful examples of possible solutions in the context of Scotland's creative industries.

Culture Fair Work Taskforce members are in the process of developing recommendations for a sectoral Culture Fair Work Agreement to be put to Scottish Ministers. Following this, it will be for the Scottish Government to review and consider these recommendations and how any proposed sectoral agreement can be taken forward.

Exploration

Strengthening culture is a key ambition of ‘A Culture Strategy for Scotland’ and we are committed to considering ways to support the cultural workforce. Creative Scotland commissioned Culture Radar to undertake a review of Fair Work in 2022 on behalf of the Scottish Government, to consider Fair Work, leadership, workforce and skills development.

In addition, the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) published the Good Work Review in February 2023. This is the first UK-wide examination of job quality across the entire creative industries. The Review is based on 40 separate indicators, from evidence submitted by 120 organisations, and focuses on issues including fair pay, flexible working, paid overtime and employee representation.

These reports and other evidence gathered by analysts from the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser (OCEA) were used to consider and inform our baseline understanding of the intersectional barriers affecting Scotland's creative workforce ahead of the establishment of the Culture Fair Work Taskforce. For instance, identifying intersectional barriers faced by disabled women and racially minoritised women working on a freelance basis. It was also identified that age and socio-economic background can limit opportunities to enter and progress in the creative industries.

Impact of action

The aim of the Culture Fair Work Taskforce is to propose recommendations for a sectoral Culture Fair Work Agreement. The intention is that any agreement will promote and embed the Fair Work dimensions of Effective Voice, Opportunity, Security, Fulfilment and Respect in Scotland's creative industries. It is envisioned that will be achieved by delivering actions to improve workers' pay and conditions and seeking to remove intersectional barriers experienced by protected groups.

Early Learning and Childcare

Information and guidance

The National Standard requires that providers pay the real Living Wage to all childcare workers delivering the funded entitlement and commit to adopting and demonstrating Fair Work practices in their setting.

Delivery

The 2025-26 Budget includes funding to provide local authorities with an additional £9.7 million to enable the payment of at least the real Living Wage to those early learning and childcare workers delivering funded childcare in private and voluntary sector services, from April 2025. The sectoral representative forum, the Childcare Sector Working Group, approved proposals developed by the Scottish Government, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) and the Association of Directors of Education (ADES) to respond to the Audit Scotland recommendation to put in place a mechanism to monitor payment of the real Living Wage among staff in commissioned private and voluntary services delivering funded ELC.

This will involve the inclusion in the Care Inspectorate Annual Return of a question on rLW payment. To complement this, an escalation route similar to that used in Adult Social Care will be introduced to allow staff to raise concerns if they are not being paid the rLW.

Impact of action

Additional investment to enable childcare staff delivering funded early learning and childcare in private and third sector services to be paid at least the real Living Wage supported an average increase of over £1,000 in the gross salary of eligible staff who are working full time in 2025-26, with women accounting for 96% of day care of children staff and 98% of childminders.

Retail

The Retail Industry Leadership Group (ILG) will drive and support delivery of Fair Work across the sector.

In doing so, employers will take action to improve Fair Work conditions across the sector, contributing to the reduction of in-work poverty and continuing to reduce the gender pay gap in the retail sector.

Information and guidance

A 'Growing Fair Work in Retail' resource will be published and signposted on the Fair Work digital hub.

Delivery

‘Growing Fair Work in Retail' will be a free resource to support retailers. Each retailer will hold information on their own employees and intersectional groups.

Impact of action

An evaluation will be carried out in conjunction with ILG members to an agreed timeline following publication.

Tourism and Hospitality

We have a commitment to deliver a sectoral Fair Work Agreement in partnership with industry and trade unions that delivers payment of the real Living Wage, better security of work and wider Fair Work First Standards in tourism and hospitality.

Information and guidance

The Fair Work Convention has published the 'Fair Work Convention Hospitality Inquiry Report' into Fair Work standards within the hospitality industry.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise has developed a Fair Work in tourism toolkit.

Delivery

Equalities are part of the wider considerations of Fair Work in the sector and this was a theme of the Fair Work Convention inquiry. The Scottish Government is yet to issue a formal response to the inquiry; however, Fair Work is an opportunity to further diversity and respect in the workforce.

Action: Effective Voice

We will work with employers, workers and trade unions to strengthen effective voice through a range of appropriate channels. We will do this by supporting strong trade unions and, in line with our National Performance Framework employee voice indicator, we will promote the benefits of collective bargaining (including sectoral agreements) and other forms of effective voice at individual and collective levels.

Information and guidance

Through the support for Scottish Union Learning (SUL) and the Fair Work in Action Fund (FWIA), several projects have addressed barriers faced by intersectional groups. In particular, the Equality Rep Network provides resources on disability, mental health, and inclusive workplace practices.

Related websites which may be suitable for inclusion in the Fair Work Digital Hub include: Scottish Union Learning website; STUC website

Delivery

This action can help address intersectional barriers through initiatives funded through the FWIA and SUL. For example, the FWIA Fair Work Equalities & Leadership Project aims to increase leadership capacity to deliver Fair Work, ensuring that trade union leadership capacity is enhanced and diversified; and trade union members and representatives with protected characteristics are supported into leadership roles.

The Equality Rep Network provides resources on flexible working, equality legislation, disability discrimination, mental health, LGBTQ+ issues, race discrimination, and equal pay. The Equalities & Leadership Project has previously, and could in future, support events organised by the STUC's various equality groups/committees.

The overall purpose of SUL is to support trade unions in developing, organising and delivering work-related learning and skills programmes for their members that contribute to collective prosperity and wellbeing, Fair Work, and equality for workers across Scotland. Its activities also reach non-members and can act as a conduit to increasing union membership and potentially recognition. SUL's Everyday Skills activity includes English language learning for those who do not have English as their first language, and support for learners who may be disabled, are neurodivergent, or have other learning difficulties.

Exploration

Strengthening effective voice is guided by research from various sources, including the Fair Work Convention, CIPD and STUC, and we continue to monitor related publications.

Impact of action

While this action is targeted at all workers and not at specific groups, an indirect impact may be enhanced worker representation through trade unions of under-represented groups, such as those with intersecting identities. This would provide effective voice collectively in their respective workplaces for those groups, and would ensure involvement in decision-making processes, better connection to the workplace/employer, and opportunity to improve organisational culture, particularly in terms of inclusivity.

Action: Work with enterprise agencies

Work with enterprise agencies and Business Gateway to promote Fair Work and deliver wider conditionality.

• By the end of 2023 undertake a review of the Business Gateway website, utilising analytical and tracking techniques to ensure that disabled people find the website accessible, and are able to utilise the advice given to overcome the barriers they face.

Information and guidance

Business Gateway website.

Delivery

A review of the Business Gateway website found it to have a reasonably high standard of accessibility.

Impact of action

Accessible websites allow disabled people to access and utilise business support, which helps unlock the potential of disabled entrepreneurs and contributes towards reducing the Disability Employment Gap.

Action: Fair Start Scotland

We will continue to work with Fair Start Scotland providers, within the timescales of the current contract, to implement a continuous improvement approach to enhance delivery and outcomes for disabled people and those furthest from the labour market, including racialised minorities and women. This will include drawing upon learning from Pathfinders or test and learn projects being delivered by Disabled People's Organisations, and the pilot project on community engagement being delivered by CEMVO Enterprises CIC in 2022-23.

Delivery

This action has been superseded by No One Left Behind - Action 4.3

The Individual Placement Support/Supported Employment Review is available through Fair Start Scotland.

Action: No One Left Behind

The Scottish Government will publish and drive forward the actions of the No One Left Behind Strategic Plan 2024-27, taking a continuous improvement approach. This will:

• Set out jointly with Local Government the priorities for devolved services moving forward and the actions we will take to deliver them. This will include a specific focus on working across wider public services and with employers to deliver better outcomes for those experiencing structural barriers to entering and sustaining work.
• Include specific actions to enhance support for disabled people through delivery of Specialist Employability Support from April 2025.

Information and guidance

The Employability in Scotland website provides resources and support for participants looking for work and for providers.

The No One Left Behind: Employability Strategic Plan outlines strategic priorities between now and 2027.

The Individual Placement Support/Supported Employment Review is available through Fair Start Scotland.

Delivery

Devolved employability services take a person-centred approach to delivery, providing key worker support to individuals on a relational basis. The policy recognises that some people will experience multiple barriers, including structural barriers.

The Scottish Government is working in partnership to integrate Specialist Employability Support (SES) into the existing No One Left Behind approach. This will ensure each of Scotland's 32 local authority areas have a distinct offer of support in place for disabled people and people with long-term health conditions.

Work is supported by the SES Implementation Group, which includes stakeholders such as Inclusion Scotland, Values into Action Scotland, the Scottish Commission for people with Learning Difficulties (SCLD), British Association for Supported Employment (BASE), Scottish Union of Supported Employment (SUSE), Enable and Scottish Action for Mental Health (SAMH). All of these have expertise in intersectional barriers and those with lived experience.

Exploration

No One Left Behind's approach to data reporting for employability services acknowledges that people accessing support may identify with a number of characteristics or experience a number of barriers. The reporting template was updated in October 2022 to allow for data returns to capture this complexity. Further analysis is required to assess the extent of intersectionality across those who have accessed No One Left Behind provision, and this will be possible in future.

Impact of action

Through publishing the Strategic Plan, the Scottish Government has committed to work with partners to improve Scotland's employability services, to deliver more for those facing structural barriers to employment, and to work across boundaries in supporting people to access sustainable Fair Work.

The Scottish Government is driving work forward with local authorities through its case study working group to obtain case studies to showcase the reach and impact that No One Left Behind services are having on the six priority groups as set out in the Strategic Plan.

Implementation of Specialist Employability Support is intended to support more disabled people to access and sustain employment, helping to meet the Scottish Government's commitment to halving the disability employment gap by 2038.

Action: Work Based Learning, apprenticeships and skills for disabled people.

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and Scottish Funding Council

(SFC) will, on an annual basis, review disaggregated management information, including the newly disaggregated Learning Disability statistics, and take action where required where poorer outcomes or underrepresented groups are identified. This will include:

• Review the equality incentives for disabled people in relation to Work Based Learning (WBL) and make recommendations by the end of March 2024 with regard to impact on participation and achievement rates for disabled people.
• Review learning from pilot projects for Foundation Apprenticeships for disabled pupils and mainstream lessons learned by October 2023.
• Use intelligence from training and learning providers and participants to develop and deliver disability equality-focused continuous professional development to build the capacity of learning providers to support disabled individuals and ensure a continuous development cycle is implemented by 2023.

Information and guidance

Apprenticeships.scot has information and guidance, including disability support for prospective apprentices.

Apprenticeship.scot also has an inclusive recruitment guide for employers.

Delivery

Equality incentives in the Modern Apprenticeship programme are available for care experienced and disabled apprentices, and also for minority ethnic and New Scots individuals in an apprenticeship. These initiatives support working with individuals who might have faced multiple and complex barriers as a result of intersectional identities.

Exploration

The 'Achievements and Intersectionality' section of the Modern Apprenticeship quarter 4 statistics publication explores intersectionality in the Modern Apprenticeship programme.

Impact of action

The Skills Development Scotland Equality Evidence Review 2025, and the Scottish Funding Council's Equality and Diversity Mainstreaming Report 2025-29 provide details of equality outcomes.

Action: Accessible support for disabled people

Skills Development Scotland will:

• Implement Scotland’s Career Review recommendations and develop a model to ensure future career services across sectors provide meaningful and accessible support for disabled people that is both tailored to their needs and available when they need it. The implementation phase of the Career Review is due to be completed by the end of 2022.
• Continue to implement the Principles of Good Transitions across our Career Information Advice and Guidance (CIAG), through targeted Continuous Professional Development for all customer-facing CIAG colleagues and managers by the end of March 2023.

Information and guidance

The Skills Development Scotland Equality Evidence Review 2025 contains equality outcomes for the next four years.

Delivery

Consultation was undertaken with equality partners in the development of the Scottish Funding Council's Equality and Diversity Mainstreaming Report 2025-29, including the development of Career Information Advice and Guidance (CIAG) services.

Fair Work Action Plan: Intersectional Impacts 2025

This report provides analysis of the intersectional impacts of actions in the Fair Work Action Plan.

There are three elements to providing an intersectional approach within the plan:

• Information and guidance  – we will promote an intersectional approach to data collection and policy development across the labour market through the creation and/or signposting of guidance, including our action to create and promote a centralised access hub of Fair Work resources for employers.
• Delivery  – within our actions, where possible, we will take a targeted approach to address compound inequalities that are already well-evidenced for particular intersecting characteristics, such as racially minoritised women or young disabled people.
• Exploration  – we recognise that the evidence base relating to intersecting inequalities is limited and reflects the systemic inequalities that we are committed to addressing. Some of our actions will seek to build on and strengthen the evolving evidence base and look at the cumulative impacts of multiple intersecting characteristics to inform labour market interventions.