PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYMENT IN SCOTLAND STATISTICS FOR 1st QUARTER 2014

The statistics in this release are based on administrative records and surveys of individual public sector bodies carried out by the Scottish Government and the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The publication includes information on public sector employment in Scotland with distinctions made for employment in devolved bodies and reserved bodies (located in Scotland).


5. Civil Service Employment in Scotland; Headcount (Table 6, Table 7)

This section provides a summary of the civil service in Scotland.

The devolved civil service is made up of:

  • Scottish Government Core Departments
  • Scottish Government Agencies
  • Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
  • Non-Ministerial Departments

The reserved civil service is made up of:

  • UK Government Departments
  • Scotland Office

In Q1 2014 there were 43,900 people employed as civil servants in Scotland. This is made up of 16,900 (38.6%) people working in the devolved civil service and 27,000 (61.4%) working in UK government departments. The total number of civil servants has decreased by 1,100 (2.4%) over the year from 45,000 in Q1 2013.

Devolved Civil Service

The devolved civil service has increased by 300 (2.0%) since Q1 2013. Chart 6 shows a breakdown of the devolved civil service in Scotland as at Q1 2014[8].

Scottish Government Core

In Q1 2014, there were 5,300 people employed in Scottish Government (SG) core directorates, representing 31.3% of the devolved civil service in Scotland. Over the year from Q1 2013, employment in SG core directorates has increased by 200 (3.3%).

Scottish Government Agencies

There were 7,000 people employed in Scottish Government agencies in Q1 2014. Employment in SG agencies has increased by 200 (3.3%) over the year. This increase is largely due to increases in the Scottish Prison Service in preparation for the opening of a new prison.

Non Ministerial Departments

Non Ministerial Departments (NMD) include the National Records of Scotland, Registers of Scotland, the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator the Scottish Courts Service (SCS) and the Scottish Housing Regulator (from April 2012). In Q1 2014, there were 2,900 people employed in these NMDs, a decrease of 100 (1.9%) over the year.

Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal

In Q1 2014 the amount of people employed in the Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal remained unchanged over the year.

Chart 6: Breakdown of devolved civil service employment, Scotland, headcount, Q4 2013

Chart 6: Breakdown of devolved civil service employment, Scotland, headcount, Q4 2013

Reserved Civil Service

Employment in the reserved civil service has decreased by 1,400 (5.0%), from 28,400 in Q1 2013 to 27,000 in Q1 2014.

This has been driven by: Ministry of Defence decreasing by 100 (3.0%), HM Revenues and Customs decreasing by 500 (5.1%) and Department for Work and Pensions decreasing by 900 (7.7%). Other civil service remained unchanged at 2,700 as well as Scotland Office at 70. The only increase over the last year to Q1 2014 was seen in Department for International Development which rose by 100 (9.4%) in the year to Q1 2014.

Chart 7 identifies the breakdown of headcount employment in UK government departments as at Q1 2014.

Chart 7: Breakdown of headcount employment in the UK government departments as at Q1 2014

Chart 7: Breakdown of headcount employment in the UK government departments as at Q1 2014

Contact

Email: Susanne Ross

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