We use cookies to collect anonymous data to help us improve your site browsing experience.

Click 'Accept all cookies' to agree to all cookies that collect anonymous data. To only allow the cookies that make the site work, click 'Use essential cookies only.' Visit 'Set cookie preferences' to control specific cookies.

Set cookie preferences

Your cookie preferences have been saved. You can change your cookie settings at any time.

Publication - Statistics

Public Sector Employment in Scotland Statistics for 2nd Quarter 2026

Published
15 September 2026
Directorate
Chief Economist Directorate
Topic
Economy, Public sector, Work and skills

Statistics based on administrative records and surveys of individual public sector bodies carried out by the Scottish Government and the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This is a snapshot of employment as at June 2026.

Part of

Supporting documents

Key points

Summary - based on headcount data:

  • in June 2026, there were 603,800 people employed in the public sector in Scotland, accounting for 23.0% of total employment[1]
  • in June 2026, employment in the public sector increased by 6,640 (1.1%) compared to June 2025
  • when major reclassifications are excluded, the public sector increased by around 6,000 (1.1%) between June 2025 and June 2026[2]
  • of the total 603,800 people employed in the public sector in Scotland, 553,600 (91.7%) were employed in the devolved public sector in June 2026. This was an increase of 6,060 (1.1%) compared to June 2025
  • between June 2025 and June 2026, employment in the devolved public sector increased by:
    • 3,700 (2.0%) in the NHS
    • 2,320 (0.9%) in Local Government
    • 280 (1.0%) in the Devolved Civil Service 
    • 240 (2.7%) in Public Corporations

while employment in the devolved public sector decreased by:

    • 310 (-2.6%) in Further Education Colleges
    • 140 (-0.6%) in Other Public Bodies
    • 30 (-0.1%) in Police and Fire Services
  • some staff from organisations within the devolved civil service have transferred to two new organisations that have not yet been classified in the ONS’s Public sector classification guide and forward work plan and are therefore not included in this publication. As a result, the Q2 2026 figures may underestimate the size of the devolved civil service, the devolved public sector and the overall public sector. The impact will be minimal on the overall public sector estimates due to rounding, but may impact lower level estimates and estimates of changes over time. We aim to include these new organisations as part of our annual revisions in the Q3 publication in December 2026
  • in June 2026, there were 50,100 people employed in the reserved public sector in Scotland. This was 580 (1.2%) more than in June 2025. The reserved public sector accounts for 8.3% of total public sector employment in Scotland
  • between June 2025 and June 2026, employment within the reserved public sector increased in the Reserved Civil Service by 430 (1.5%), and in the Other Public Sector[3] by 280 (2.2%), and decreased in the Armed Forces by 120 (-1.2%)
 

[1] Estimates for total employment and private sector employment are based on the non-seasonally adjusted total employment estimates from the ONS Labour Force Survey.

[2] Further details on major reclassifications are provided on page 8 and on the About public sector employment statistics page of the Scottish Government website.

[3] Public corporations, public sector financial institutions and public bodies have been combined into ‘other public sector’ to ensure employment figures for individual organisations are not disclosed.  

Contact

For enquiries about this publication please contact:

Labour Market Statistics,
Office of the Chief Economic Adviser
E-mail: LMStats@gov.scot

For general enquiries about Scottish Government statistics please contact:

Office of the Chief Statistician
E-mail: statistics.enquiries@gov.scot

Back to top