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.
Sex and gender - 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 sex are 100% in our internal HR system, 87.9% in our recruitment system, and 98.7% in the People Survey. Data on the sex of employees within the Scottish Government is complete, as this is gathered during the recruitment process once an offer has been accepted. Data on the sex of applicants in our recruitment system and of survey respondents to the People Survey are not complete and include a ‘Prefer not to say’ response option.
Workforce composition
Headcounts
Female staff make up 57.3% of the Scottish Government workforce, compared with 51.1% of Scotland’s population aged 16 to 64 who are female.
The chart below shows the breakdown of the Scottish Government workforce by sex 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 sex 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 2a: Pay band or working pattern, by sex - December 2025
Part-time staff make up 16.6% of all permanent staff.
Recruitment
46.7% of applications come from female applicants, rising to 57.4% of applicants accepting an offer.
The chart below shows the percentage breakdown of applicants by sex at each stage of the recruitment process. Applicants applying to multiple jobs are included once for each application they submit. The sex breakdown of Scotland’s population aged 16 to 64 is included as a comparison where available.
Figure 2b: Recruitment stages reached in 2025, by sex
The stages of the recruitment process are explained in the notes page of this publication.
Turnover
Female staff account for 60% of joiners and 60.1% 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 sex. 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 sex breakdown of Scotland’s working-age population is included as a comparison where available.
Figure 2c: Joiners and leavers in 2025, by sex
The chart above does not include any movement to, from, or between any other Scottish Government organisations.
Staff experiences
Absences
Female staff lost an average of 10.4 working days to sickness absences.
Male staff lost an average of 7.8 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 2d: Average working days lost in 2025, by sex
Performance
52.8% of female staff received a marking of ‘Highly Effective’ or ‘Exceptional’ in 2025.
47.9% of male 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.
Figure 2e: Performance markings in 2024-25, by sex
Substantive promotions
5.4% of female staff were promoted in 2025.
5.2% of male staff were promoted in 2025.
The chart below shows the percentage breakdown of staff promoted in 2025 by sex. 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.
Figure 2f: Proportion of staff promoted in 2025, by sex
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
4.2% of female staff were on a temporary promotion.
3.9% of male 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.
Figure 2g: Proportion of staff on a temporary promotion on 31 December 2025, by sex
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 female and male staff on 31 December 2025 is 2.8%.
The median pay gap between female and male staff on 31 December 2025 is 5.81%.
A positive pay gap indicates that male staff have a pay lead (i.e. have higher average pay).
The mean pay gap between part-time female and full-time male staff on 31 December 2025 is 1.83%.
The median pay gap between part-time female and full-time male staff on 31 December 2025 is 4.87%.
A positive pay gap indicates that full-time male 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 sex. The data below exclude staff who have not made a declaration in our HR system.
Figure 2h: Average pay on 31 December 2025, by sex
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.