Equality outcomes and mainstreaming report 2017

Section 3: Employee Information, Gender, Race and Disability Pay Gap and Equal Pay Statements

Scottish Government - Pay Gap

Gender

The Scottish Government defines the gender pay gap as the difference in mean average full-time equivalent earnings for men and women. The mean is the sum of hourly rates for each person divided by the number of people.

The national ( UK) figure for the gender pay gap is 9.4% and in Scotland the figure is 6.2% for 2016. This is a median average figure and the equivalent mean average figures for the UK and Scotland are 13.9% and 10.7% respectively.

(source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office of National Statistics, full-time hourly earnings excluding overtime).

Within the Scottish Government, where men and women are undertaking work of an equal value (i.e. within the same pay range) they are paid a similar rate and consequently the pay gap is low as can be seen in the table below. However, the overall pay gap is 4.14%. The reason for that is that the Scottish Government has a higher proportion of women in lower pay ranges which lowers the overall average hourly rate. Thus, the overall pay gap is at least partly a function of the gender distribution across the grade structure.

	Female		Male		Pay Gap
	Mean	Median	Mean	Median	Mean	Median
Band A	£20,191	£19,582	£19,982	£19,582	-1.04%	0.00%
Band B	£32,385	£31,811	£33,063	£31,811	2.05%	0.00%
Band C	£56,597	£55,275	£57,875	£55,275	2.21%	0.00%
Not Assim	£32,197	£28,997	£33,504	£28,731	3.90%	-0.93%
SCS	£82,762	£72,897	£80,935	£72,604	-2.26%	-0.40%
All staff	£35,016	£31,811	£36,530	£31,811	4.14%	0.00%

A positive pay gap indicates where male staff have a pay lead

The pay grade "Not Assim" refers to staff not assimilated into a standard pay range or grade. Posts occupied by staff in SGM (i.e. Bands A, B & C), as well as those in SCS, are assessed using a common job evaluation systems ( JEGS/ JESP respectively) which enable a variety of office-based roles to be grouped together as work of equal value for pay purposes. Around 2.5% of Scottish Government staff perform duties which are not covered by these evaluations systems, mostly within the off-shore marine specialism but also a small number of staff (individuals and small groups) who have retained the terms and conditions of previous employers under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations ( TUPE). For reporting purposes, the staff have been gathered into the Not Assimilated category. However, it should be noted that they cover a wide variety of different job and pay levels, as such they do not provide a comparable basis for gender pay gap analysis in relation to work of equal value.

The Scottish Government ensures that all policies that support the employment of staff are free from gender bias and that equal work attracts equal pay. Gender distribution across the grade structure can be influenced to some degree through promotion, talent development and recruitment activity.

Since publication of the 2015 Mainstreaming Report the gender pay gap reduced by 2.16% (down from 6.3%).

Other Characteristics

Working Pattern - at first glance, it would appear that the most striking features in the working pattern data are the 12.05% advantage in favour of full time staff in the mean statistic for non-assimilated staff and the 17.68% median advantage in favour of part time staff in the SCS. Both of these are largely due to the very small numbers of part-time staff in each group. Slightly over 2% of non-assimilated staff work part-time, while just over 5% of SCS are on a part-time working pattern. These very low rates in the smallest staff groups result in the salaries of very few members of staff having a large effect on the summary statistics.

Ethnicity - similar to working pattern, the largest disparities are seen in the non-assimilated and SCS staff groups, where there are very few self-declared ethnic minority staff. The effect is exacerbated by the exclusion from the analysis of those staff who have not self-declared their ethnicity, or who have indicated that they "prefer not to say". This increases the influence on the statistics of the few who have self-declared. The all staff figures for ethnicity indicate a lead for white staff which is not reflected in the statistics for bands A to C. This is because Band A (which has below average salaries) contains the highest proportion of ethnic minority staff while Band C (which has above average salaries) has the lowest proportion of ethnic minority staff.

Disability - the pay lead of non-disabled staff shown in the all staff figure compared to the relatively neutral message at individual bands is entirely due to the proportion of self-declared disabled staff in each grade. This is highest in Band A, and declines as one progresses through the bands until SCS which has the lowest proportion. Compared with the overall proportion of self-declared disability, Band A is the only band which is significantly above average. Band B is very close to the average, Band C is below average and SCS is well below average.

	PT		FT		Pay Gap
	Mean	Median	Mean	Median	Mean	Median
Band A	£20,287	£19,582	£20,057	£19,582	-1.15%	0.00%
Band B	£32,941	£31,811	£32,655	£31,811	-0.87%	0.00%
Band C	£56,912	£55,275	£57,275	£55,275	0.63%	0.00%
Not Assim	£29,399	£29,257	£33,427	£28,997	12.05%	-0.90%
SCS	£82,116	£85,732	£81,665	£72,849	-0.55%	-17.68%
All staff	£35,400	£31,811	£35,809	£31,811	1.14%	0.00%

A positive pay gap indicates where full time staff have a pay lead

	1. Ethnic minority		2. White		Pay Gap
	Mean	Median	Mean	Median	Mean	Median
Band A	£20,400	£19,582	£20,418	£19,582	0.09%	0.00%
Band B	£32,106	£30,459	£32,853	£31,811	2.27%	4.25%
Band C	£57,599	£55,602	£57,085	£55,275	-0.90%	-0.59%
Not Assim	£25,587	£25,587	£34,202	£28,465	25.19%	10.11%
SCS	£73,171	£70,800	£82,066	£72,849	10.84%	2.81%
All staff	£34,124	£29,107	£36,912	£31,811	7.55%	8.50%

A positive pay gap indicates where white staff have a pay lead

	1. Disabled		2. Not disabled		Pay Gap
	Mean	Median	Mean	Median	Mean	Median
Band A	£20,493	£19,582	£20,459	£19,582	-0.17%	0.00%
Band B	£32,110	£31,811	£33,437	£31,811	3.97%	0.00%
Band C	£56,388	£55,275	£57,639	£55,275	2.17%	0.00%
Not Assim	£30,091	£29,579	£33,978	£27,440	11.44%	-7.80%
SCS	£84,320	£85,330	£81,296	£72,506	-3.72%	-17.69%
All staff	£33,125	£29,107	£38,293	£31,811	13.50%	8.50%

A positive pay gap indicates where non disabled staff have a pay lead

In SGM and SGMarine staff will typically be recruited at the pay range minimum and progress to the maximum. Current progression journeys range from a minimum of two years to a maximum of four years depending on pay range. The tables above are a snapshot reflecting length of service and pay progression journey at a particular point,
i.e. as at 31 December 2016.

Coverage

The Scottish Government has three groups of staff each with separate sets of remuneration arrangements. The three pay groups are:

• Scottish Government Main bargaining unit ( SGM)
• Scottish Government Marine bargaining unit ( SGMarine)
• Senior Civil Service ( SCS)

(Further information on the make-up of the pay groups is supplied below)

The Senior Civil Service is reserved to the UK Government. While the members of the SCS are Scottish Government employees, their remuneration is in line with UK Cabinet Office pay and performance management framework.

Breakdown of pay groups

Scottish Government Main ( SGM) & SCS

Core Directorates of the Scottish Government falling within the responsibility of:

• Directorate General - Communities
• Directorate General - Economy
• Directorate General - Finance
• Directorate General - Health & Social Care
• Directorate General - Learning & Justice
• Directorate General - Strategy and External Affairs

Agencies and Non-Ministerial Offices:

• Scottish Public Pensions Agency
• Student Awards Agency for Scotland
• National Records of Scotland
• Education Scotland
• Accountant in Bankruptcy
• Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator
• Transport Scotland
• Scottish Housing Regulator
• Disclosure Scotland
• Revenue Scotland

Staff serving elsewhere on assignment, loan or secondment are regarded as being part of SGM except where provision has been agreed for other terms and conditions to apply.

Scottish Government Marine ( SGMARINE)

• Officers and crew of three Fishery Protection Vessels
• Officers and crew of two Fishery Research Vessels
• Marine, Engineer and Safety Superintendents

Occupational Segregation

Staff numbers by diversity characteristic and pay grade are provided in the Annex 'Staff Diversity Data'. The Scottish Government does not currently hold sufficiently detailed information to allow a further breakdown of "occupational segregation" in SGM and SCS. A general description of the duties for each pay range/grade has also been given below.

Scottish Government Main ( SGM)

A3

The role of posts in this range is to offer technical, specialist or advanced administrative support under the supervision of and in support of a more senior officer. Duties usually call for the exercise of discretion and initiative whilst carrying out generally routine and repetitive tasks and will often involve the use of IT based skills. Although not a management level for most posts, in some operational areas there may be supervision of staff, which can include annual reporting and career development.

Posts at this level tend to report to a post in Band B but may report to a more senior post in Band A.

A4

Supervision of staff in other Band A ranges may be an important feature of posts in this range. This will include allocation of tasks and checking of work. In some cases there may be a full staff management role, including annual reporting and career development. Posts may also be akin to an 'executive assistant', combining administrative support to officers in the Senior Civil Service with some executive functions. Posts within this range will require a degree of judgement and interpretative ability to be exercised within guidelines and established practice. Posts in this range are likely to report to a post in the upper ranges of Band B, or in Band C, or in some cases direct to a member of the Senior Civil Service.

B1

Jobs in this pay range will often be the first formal line management level including staff management (and covering staff appraisals). In some areas these posts may provide direct support to other more senior posts. Elsewhere they may be responsible for a discrete area or work under the control and direction of a more senior officer. Typically posts within this range will require postholders to exercise judgement and interpretative ability where practice and precedence guide the work.

Some posts require a good understanding of the basic principles and practices of a subject or discipline/ specialism through a mix of qualifications or training and experience.

B2

Posts in this range are expected to have a good knowledge and understanding of their area of work or subject and to exercise sound judgement and interpretative ability in the application of regulations, practice and procedures or professional standards. They may have delegated responsibility for elements of work, where they are required to keep fully up-to-date with developments and suggest responses and solutions to posts in Band C or the Senior Civil Service. They will usually report to a Head of Branch and will have freedom of action in managerial and operational matters within accepted standards and precedents.

Management responsibilities will vary. Where there are very large numbers in the command, posts are usually assisted by staff from the lowest range in Band B or from Band A. Posts without any managerial responsibility are often the working level in a professional or specialist function or operate in a structure where support staff are managed centrally.

B3

Jobs in this range are usually responsible for a discrete area of work, which may cover more than one function, and are fully accountable for the achievement of objectives and targets within their responsibilities. Posts require considerable knowledge and full understanding of their area of work or subject, demonstrate the ability to develop and adapt existing procedures and have the acumen to resolve a variety of problems. Posts will report to a member of Band C, or possibly the Senior Civil Service.

Management responsibilities vary depending on the nature of the work; this ranges from heading up a discrete section or team to managing a larger executive area where the work and operational decisions are more routine.

C1

Posts within this range are expected to be able to function independently and take full responsibility for the work of their section or branch. They have an important role in policy areas to keep fully up-to-date with all salient developments concerning the policies they manage, for example, in Whitehall and Europe, and to produce and broker solutions for submission to senior staff and Ministers. Professional staff must also keep up-to-date in their particular fields in order to maintain their level of expertise and its applicability in the Office. Posts at this level must be able to see ways to adapt precedents/principles and to work with some complex ideas.

The managers of these posts are normally members of the Senior Civil Service, or sometimes the top range of Band C.

The size of the management task for these posts will vary, depending on the nature of the work; this ranges from small teams in which each member has set, delegated tasks, to larger professional advisory or executive areas. In each case, these postholders will normally take all staff management decisions for their areas, without reference above. In executive areas, most operational decisions will also be contained at, or beneath, this level.

C2

Posts at this level are used most often in a supporting role to Senior Civil Service managers or are responsible for managing blocks of work, for example, in executive, casework areas. These posts will usually have managerial responsibilities either for small units or for branches/teams where the main working level will be in Band B or the first range of Band C - such as in some professional areas - or will manage significant numbers of staff in executive areas. Exceptionally, they may also lead small policy branches that have heavy and continually high profile policy and legislative demands.

Posts will have significant responsibility for maintaining areas of specialist or policy activity and may be involved in the development of new policy, in complex or novel areas, where considerable innovative thought is required. In professional areas, they may proactively ensure that relevant specialist issues are not overlooked, will contribute to the making of new policy, or its evolution, and may input to high level casework. In all cases, line management guidance is likely to be infrequent and require to be actively sought.

C3

Posts at this level are usually responsible for managing discrete and clearly defined blocks of work capable of separate control, and may be regarded ostensibly as Division Heads. Generally these posts are held accountable for the use of financial and staff resources relating to their commands which, taken together and in combination with the other factors, tend to mark them out as demanding a perceptibly higher level than the most senior posts in the other ranges of Band C.

Specific knowledge and skills may well be required of these posts, requiring qualifications and experience in a formal discipline in addition to administrative experience. The incumbents may act as the senior managers in a professional group where they will normally also carry significant operational autonomy for a clearly identified section of the remit.

Senior Civil Service ( SCS)

Deputy Director 1 and 1A

These posts normally report to a Director and are responsible for the development and implementation of strategy, leading the government's engagement with stakeholders, operational delivery and the leadership and management of a Divisional team. The majority of Deputy Director roles have responsibility for direct running costs and programme budgets and they will be a member of the Directorate senior management team.

Director

These posts normally report to a Director General. They are senior leaders in their work within portfolios and collectively in setting, communicating and implementing organisational strategy and managing key relationships and networks, delivering operational results and the leadership and management of the Directorate team.

Director General

These posts report directly to the Permanent Secretary and are the Scottish Government's principal policy advisers. They provide support to Cabinet Secretaries and other Ministers, drive delivery and build strategic relationships with partners and stakeholders. The post holders play a leading and collegiate role as part of the Executive Team and Strategic Board in ensuring that Scottish Government resources are deployed effectively in support of the business strategy and key outcomes and to develop its capacity and performance.

Permanent Secretary

This is the senior Civil Servant in Scotland and leads the 5000+ civil servants working for the Scottish Government, supporting the Government in developing, implementing and communicating its policies. The post holder is the principal policy adviser to the First Minister and Secretary to the Cabinet. They are also the Principal Accountable Officer for the Scottish Government with personal responsibility for the propriety and regularity of Government finance and for economic, efficient and effective use of all related resources.

Equal Pay Statement

The Scottish Government is an equal opportunities employer and all staff should be treated equally irrespective of their sex, marital/civil partnership status, age, race, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, religion or belief, working pattern, employment status, gender identity (transgender), caring responsibility, or trade union membership, and receive equal pay for doing equal work or work of equal value. The Scottish Government will operate a pay and reward system which is transparent, based on objective criteria and free from bias.