This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Public sector employment
30/06/2006
Statistics on those employed in the public sector in Scotland up to Quarter 1 of 2006 are published today.
This covers all of the public sector as defined by UK National Accounts and provides a complete quarterly series from Quarter 1 1999 onwards.
The quarterly data are not seasonally adjusted and therefore comparisons between years should only be made for the same quarter.
This publication is also the official release of Scottish Local Government employment statistics, previously published by the Executive in the Joint Staffing Watch Survey.
The statistics are based on administrative records and surveys of individual public sector organisations. These surveys are carried out by the Executive and the Office for National Statistics (ONS). An estimate of private sector employment is also included, derived as the difference between the Labour Force Survey employment estimate for the whole of Scotland (not seasonally adjusted) and the public sector estimate.
Main points:
Public and Private Sector Employment in Scotland (Headcount)
- In quarter 1 (Q1) 2006, there were 586,400 people employed in the public sector and 1,878,600 people employed in the private sector in Scotland
- Public sector employment in Scotland consists of Local Government including police and fire and related services (55.3 percent), NHS (25.6 percent), Civil Service (8.8 percent), Public Corporations (4.9 percent), Non Departmental Public Bodies (2.4 percent) and Armed Forces (2.3 percent)
- Public sector employment has increased by 58,800 (11.2 percent) since Q1 1999 and by 10,100 (1.8 percent) since Q1 2005. The largest increase since 1999 was within Local Government (31,000) including education services, social work services and fire and police services
- The public sector currently accounts for 23.8 percent of employment in Scotland which has increased from 23.1 percent in Q1 1999 and 23.6 percent in Q1 2005
Local Government (Full-Time Equivalent - FTE)
- Total full-time equivalent employment in Local Government (excluding Police, Fire and related services) was 233,500 in Q1 2006. This figure comprises: 57,200 teachers; 36,000 other education staff; 44,600 social work staff and 95,900 other staff
- In Q1 2006 total employment in police and related services was 23,400 and total employment in fire and related services was 5,700
- The number of teachers employed within Local Government has increased by 5.4 percent since Q1 1999 and by 0.3 percent since Q1 2005
- Other Education staff within Local Government has increased by 53.9 percent since Q1 1999 and by 5.6 percent since Q1 2005. Other Education staff include other staff within schools such as classroom assistants, music instructors, laboratory assistants, library staff, clerical staff etc
- The number of Social Work staff working within Local Government has increased by 27.6 percent since Q1 1999 but decreased by 0.3 percent since Q1 2005
- The number of police and related services staff has increased by 18.2 percent since Q1 1999 and by 3.5 percent since Q1 2005
- The number of fire and related services staff has increased by 4.8 percent since Q1 1999 and by 3.1 percent since Q1 2005
- The number of other Local Government staff has decreased by 1.3 percent since Q1 1999 but increased by 1.0 percent since Q1 2005
Civil Service in Scotland (Full-Time Equivalent - FTE)
- The total number of full-time equivalent Civil Servants employed in Scotland was 48,700 in Q1 2006. This is an increase of 5.6 percent since Q1 1999 and an increase of 0.3 percent since Q1 2005
- In Q1 2006 there were 15,400 permanent staff employed by the Scottish Executive and its associated agencies. This is an increase of 13.8 percent since Q1 1999 and an increase of 0.5 percent since Q1 2005
- In Q1 2006 there were 31,300 permanent staff employed by other Civil Service Departments and Agencies in Scotland. This is an increase of 1.5 percent since Q1 1999 but a decrease of 1.4 percent on Q1 2005
Non Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) and Public Corporations (Full-Time Equivalent - FTE)
- Changes in the number of staff employed within NDPBs and Public Corporations are caused by changes in the number, scope and classification of NDPBs and Public Corporations as well as increases in staff within organisations
- The total number of full-time equivalent staff working in NDPBs and Public Corporations was 40,400 in Q1 2006. This is an increase of 8.7 percent since Q1 1999 but a decrease of 1.7 percent since Q1 2005
- In Q1 2006 there were 27,100 FTE staff employed by Public Corporations. This is a decrease of 0.7 percent since Q1 1999 and a decrease of 3.2 percent since Q1 2005
- In Q1 2006 there were 13,300 FTE staff employed by NDPBs. This is an increase of 34.4 percent since Q1 1999 and an increase of 1.5 percent since Q1 2005