Statistics and cost of employing contingency staff: FOI release

Information requested

'The number of contingency staff employed in each of the financial years 2023-24 (to date); 2022-23; 2021-22; 2020-21 and 2019-20.

Please also provide the total cost of employing contingency staff and the longest contract given to a worker during that period'.

Response

Some of the information you have requested is available from the following website:

Scottish Government Workforce Information Official Statistics which are published quarterly. The most recently published data is as at month end September 2023, and was published in December 2023.

This can be found here Scottish Government workforce information - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Contingent worker statistics published include consultants, contractors, interim managers, inward secondments/ SLAs, temporary workers, short-term youth initiatives, other contractors and Government UK Fast Stream. The published statistics and below costs cover Scottish Government core staff.

In regards the longest contract given to a worker during that period, we do not hold this information.

The table below shows costs incurred on Contingent Workers for the financial years 2019-20 to 2022- 23, and up to 31 December 2023 for the financial year 2023-24.

Contingent Worker costs	2019-20 £000	2020-21 £000	2021-22 £000	2022-23 £000	2023-24 (to 31/12/23) £000
Total	27,631	38,696	49,753	51,287	37,300

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