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.
Ethnic group - SG Core
The data below cover staff working in core Scottish Government directorate generals only. Data covering staff in core Scottish Government directorate generals, some agencies and some non-ministerial departments are also available. More details can be found in the notes page of this publication.
Declaration rates for ethnic group are 85.0% in our internal HR system, 84.1% in our recruitment system, and 99.3% in the People Survey.
The “minority ethnic” category below consists of the Mixed or Multiple Ethnic Group; Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British; African, African Scottish or African British; Caribbean or Black; and Other Ethnic Group categories.
Workforce composition
Staff who haven’t declared their ethnic group are not included in the percentages below.
Headcounts
Minority ethnic staff make up 4.7% of the SG Core workforce, compared with 7.7% of Scotland’s population aged 16 to 64 who are minority ethnic.
The chart below shows the breakdown of the SG Core workforce by ethnic group 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 SG Core representation. The ethnic group breakdown of Scotland’s population aged 16 to 64 is included as a comparison where available.
Figure 5a: Pay band or working pattern, by ethnic group - December 2025
Part-time staff make up 16.6% of all permanent staff.
Recruitment
31.1% of applications come from minority ethnic applicants, dropping to 9.4% of applicants accepting an offer.
The chart below shows the percentage breakdown of applicants by ethnic group at each stage of the recruitment process. Applicants applying to multiple jobs are included once for each application they submit. The ethnic group breakdown of Scotland’s population aged 16 to 64 is included as a comparison where available.
Figure 5b: Recruitment stages reached in 2025, by ethnic group
The stages of the recruitment process are explained in the notes page of this publication.
Turnover
Minority ethnic staff account for 9.7% of joiners and 5.3% of leavers.
The chart below shows the breakdown of the SG Core workforce, staff who joined in 2025 and staff who left in 2025 by ethnic group. Percentages may include up (↑) or down (↓) arrows where the proportions of joiners or leavers are significantly higher or lower than the overall SG Core representation. The ethnic group breakdown of Scotland’s working-age population is included as a comparison where available.
Figure 5c: Joiners and leavers in 2025, by ethnic group
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 ethnic group among staff increases with time spent working for the SG Core.
Staff experiences
Figures for staff who haven’t declared their ethnic group are not included in the charts below, although they are included in the total figures.
Absences
Minority ethnic staff lost an average of 11.6 working days to sickness absences.
White staff lost an average of 8.5 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 5d: Average working days lost in 2025, by ethnic group
Performance
42.6% of minority ethnic staff received a marking of ‘Highly Effective’ or ‘Exceptional’ in 2025.
58.9% of white 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 5e: Performance markings in 2024-25, by ethnic group
Substantive promotions
7.6% of minority ethnic staff were promoted in 2025.
4.7% of white staff were promoted in 2025.
The chart below shows the percentage breakdown of staff promoted in 2025 by ethnic group. 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 5f: Proportion of staff promoted in 2025, by ethnic group
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
4.1% of minority ethnic staff were on a temporary promotion.
3.8% of white staff were on a temporary promotion.
The chart below shows the proportion of SG Core 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 SG Core. The overall proportion includes staff who have not made a declaration.
Figure 5g: Proportion of staff on a temporary promotion on 31 December 2025, by ethnic group
Pay gap
The data on pay used in this publication covers the SG Main, SG Marine and SCS pay groups, which includes staff employed by core Scottish Government (SG Core). SG Core is not included separately in this publication. This data can be found on the Scottish Government overall page.
Workforce culture
The data below come from the annual Civil Service People Survey and highlight the experiences of staff working in SG Core. The scores below are the percentage of positive responses by respondents indicating they belong to a particular demographic group. Respondents who didn’t answer the question on ethnic group binary have been removed from these charts and tables, although they are included in the calculation of the total figure.
Some of the percentages in the charts below are followed by arrows indicating the level of statistical significance. These boxes are also colour-coded in various shades of green and red to indicate whether the difference is desirable or not respectively.
Engagement
70.7% of minority ethnic staff report feeling engaged, compared to 63.7% of white staff.
The chart below shows the percentage of staff who feel engaged with their work in 2024.
Figure 5h: Employee engagement score in 2024, by ethnic group
Inclusion & fair treatment
82.2% of minority ethnic staff report feeling included and treated fairly, compared to 84.8% of white staff.
The chart below shows the percentage of staff feeling included and that they are treated fairly in 2024.
Figure 5i: Inclusion & fair treatment score in 2024, by ethnic group
Bullying & harassment
12.3% of minority ethnic staff report experiencing bullying and/or harassment, compared to 8.1% of white staff.
The chart below shows the percentage of staff having experienced bullying and/or harassment at work in 2024. Lower percentages are preferred.
Figure 5j: Bullying & harassment score in 2024, by ethnic group
Discrimination
13.3% of minority ethnic staff report experiencing discrimination, compared to 6.7% of white staff.
The chart below shows the percentage of staff having experienced discrimination at work in 2024. Lower percentages are preferred.