Scottish Government workforce diversity and inclusion statistics 2025
Statistics on the diversity of core Scottish Government permanent staff and the experiences of different demographic groups within the workforce.
Disability - Scottish Government
The data below cover staff working in core Scottish Government directorate generals, selected agencies and selected non-ministerial departments. Data covering staff in core Scottish Government directorate generals only are also available. More details can be found in the notes page of this publication.
Declaration rates for disability status are 72.5% in our internal HR system, 86.5% in our recruitment system, and 99.3% in the People Survey.
How staff disability status has been calculated has changed due to a change in the question in our HR system. More details can be found in the notes page
Workforce composition
Staff who haven’t declared their disability status are not included in the percentages below.
Headcounts
Disabled staff make up 19.8% of the Scottish Government workforce, compared with 20% of Scotland’s population aged 16 to 64 who are disabled.
The chart below shows the breakdown of the Scottish Government workforce by disability status and by UK Civil Service pay band or working pattern (i.e. full-time or part-time). Percentages may include up (↑) or down (↓) arrows where data are significantly higher or lower than the overall Scottish Government representation. The disability status breakdown of Scotland’s population aged 16 to 64 is included as a comparison where available.
A table in the supplementary dataset also shows the breakdown for each Scottish Government agency, Director General area, or other body covered by this publication.
Figure 4a: Pay band or working pattern, by disability status - December 2025
Part-time staff make up 16.6% of all permanent staff.
Recruitment
7.7% of applications come from disabled applicants, rising to 14.2% of applicants accepting an offer.
The chart below shows the percentage breakdown of applicants by disability status at each stage of the recruitment process. Applicants applying to multiple jobs are included once for each application they submit. The disability status breakdown of Scotland’s population aged 16 to 64 is included as a comparison where available.
Applicants can request a guaranteed interview under the Disability Confident scheme. This may have an impact on the relative difference between disabled and not disabled applicants’ progression from application to the interview stage.
Figure 4b: Recruitment stages reached in 2025, by disability status
The stages of the recruitment process are explained in the notes page of this publication.
Turnover
Disabled staff account for 11.6% of joiners and 20% of leavers.
The chart below shows the breakdown of the Scottish Government workforce, staff who joined in 2025 and staff who left in 2025 by disability status. Percentages may include up (↑) or down (↓) arrows where the proportions of joiners or leavers are significantly higher or lower than the overall Scottish Government representation. The disability status breakdown of Scotland’s working-age population is included as a comparison where available.
Figure 4c: Joiners and leavers in 2025, by disability status
The chart above does not include any movement to, from, or between any other Scottish Government organisations.
There is a higher rate of uncertainty in the breakdown of joiners, as the declaration rate of disability status among staff increases with time spent working for the Scottish Government.
Staff experiences
Figures for staff who haven’t declared their disability status are not included in the charts below, although they are included in the total figures.
Absences
Disabled staff lost an average of 17.1 working days to sickness absences.
Non-disabled staff lost an average of 6.7 working days to sickness absences.
AWDL is a measure of absence levels that allows for comparison between different groups. A higher AWDL indicates a higher rate of days absent relative to the number of staff in that group and their working pattern.
Figure 4d: Average working days lost in 2025, by disability status
Performance
45.5% of disabled staff received a marking of ‘Highly Effective’ or ‘Exceptional’ in 2025.
58.9% of non-disabled staff received a marking of ‘Highly Effective’ or ‘Exceptional’ in 2025.
Performance is assessed annually in April. Percentages may include up (↑) or down (↓) arrows where a significantly higher or lower proportion of a group received that marking than the proportion among all staff. The overall staff proportions include staff who have not made a declaration.
Figure 4e: Performance markings in 2024-25, by disability status
Substantive promotions
4.6% of disabled staff were promoted in 2025.
5.1% of non-disabled staff were promoted in 2025.
The chart below shows the percentage breakdown of staff promoted in 2025 by disability status. The percentages below are not the success rates of staff who applied for promotion. Percentages may include up (↑) or down (↓) arrows to indicate figures that are significantly higher or lower than the staff average. The staff average includes staff who have not made a declaration.
Figure 4f: Proportion of staff promoted in 2025, by disability status
The “not promoted” group includes the following staff:
- Staff who were unsuccessful in their application for a promotion in 2025.
- Staff who did not apply for a promotion in 2025.
- Staff who achieved a promotion in 2025 but did not start their new position until 2026.
Temporary promotions
3.2% of disabled staff were on a temporary promotion.
4.2% of non-disabled staff were on a temporary promotion.
The chart below shows the proportion of Scottish Government staff on a temporary promotion. Percentages may include up (↑) or down (↓) arrows where proportions of staff on a temporary promotion are significantly higher or lower than the overall proportion within the Scottish Government. The overall proportion includes staff who have not made a declaration.
Figure 4g: Proportion of staff on a temporary promotion on 31 December 2025, by disability status
Pay gap
The data below represent the average salary for all staff in the SG Main, SG Marine and SCS pay groups.
The mean pay gap between disabled and non-disabled staff on 31 December 2025 is 7.7%.
The median pay gap between disabled and non-disabled staff on 31 December 2025 is 10.22%.
A positive pay gap indicates that non-disabled staff have a pay lead (i.e. have higher average pay).
The chart below shows the mean and median pay for staff on 31 December 2025 by disability status. The data below exclude staff who have not made a declaration in our HR system.
Figure 4h: Average pay on 31 December 2025, by disability status
Workforce culture
Workforce culture data used in this publication come from the Civil Service People Survey and cover core Scottish Government (SG Core) staff only. These data can be found on the SG Core page.