Work First Scotland and Work Able Scotland: statistical summary December 2017

Work First Scotland and Work Able Scotland, 2017, Quarters 1 and 2

This experimental statistics release is the first in a new series about Scotland's devolved employment services. The first edition publishes statistics for the first six months of Work First Scotland and Work Able Scotland, which both launched in April 2017. Information on those referred to the services ('referrals') and subsequently joining the services ('starts') is presented.

Statistics on the new service, Fair Start Scotland, which commences in April 2018, will be incorporated in this series in due course.

The Technical Annex of this publication provides information on the data sources, which include DWP and the Provider Referrals and Payment ( PRaP) system and service providers, and methodology used to produce the statistics. A background note explaining more about the devolved services also accompanies this release.

Experimental Statistics: data being developed

Experimental Statistics are a type of official statistics that are undergoing development. They are defined in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics as: 'new official statistics undergoing evaluation that are published in order to involve users and stakeholders in their development as a means to build in quality at an early stage'.