Marine Directorate staffing statistics: FOI release

Information requested

Over the past 5 years (financial or annual, between 2019 and 2024 to date) regarding the Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate staffing:

a. How many vacant posts were advertised

b. How many vacant advertised posts were filled

c. How many vacant advertised posts were readvertised

d. Of readvertised posts; how many times did readvertising occur

I would appreciate it if you could present the data in the following format:

	Financial year 2018/19	Financial year 2019/20	Financial year 2020/21	Financial year 2021/22	Financial year 2022/23
How many vacant posts advertised
How many vacant advertised posts filled
How many vacant advertised posts were readvertised
Of readvertised posts; how many times did readvertising occur

Response

I enclose a copy of some of the information you requested in the format you asked for.

Please find below details of the data extracted from our Scottish Government (SG) recruitment systems.

	Financial year 2018/19	Financial year 2019/20	Financial year 2020/21	Financial year 2021/22	Financial year 2022/23	Financial year 2023/24	Financial year 2024/25 to date (19 Sep 2024)
How many vacant posts advertised	Unknown – section 17 of FOISA	Unknown – section 17 of FOISA	Unknown – section 17 of FOISA	VoL: Unknown - section 17 of FOISA icims: 42	88	84	81
How many vacant advertised posts filled	Unknown – section 17 of FOISA	Unknown – section 17 of FOISA	Unknown – section 17 of FOISA	VoL: Unknown - section 17 of FOISA icims: 29	65	71	27
How many vacant advertised posts were readvertised	Unknown – section 17 of FOISA	Unknown – section 17 of FOISA	Unknown – section 17 of FOISA	Unknown – section 17 of FOISA	Unknown – section 17 of FOISA	Unknown – section 17 of FOISA	Unknown – sectio 17 of FOISA
Of readvertised posts; how many times did readvertising occur	Unknown – section 17 of FOISA	Unknown – section 17 of FOISA	Unknown – section 17 of FOISA	Unknown – section 17 of FOISA	Unknown – section 17 of FOISA	Unknown – section 17 of FOISA	Unknow – sectio 17 of FOISA

Notes

The numbers here represent vacancies advertised on the two Scottish Government recruitment systems in use over the period requested. The vacancies that appear on the system include internal and external permanent positions and recruitments for Fair and Open Fixed Term Appointments.

Data is not held centrally on any vacancies filled via other routes. For example, vacancies created but which did not proceed to live advert stage are excluded, as are other types of recruitment (e.g. managed moves – which is the process whereby a vacancy is filled on a level transfer without being advertised through the Internal Jobs Portal).

Vacancies Online (VoL) - vacancies to December 2021

Vacancies advertised prior to January 2022 used the now-archived Vacancies Online system. The only information we can reliably provide from this system is the number of recruitment campaigns. Please see the section below titled “Additional information provided out with FOISA” for this information in case it is of interest/use.

Vacancies advertised both internally and externally appear as two campaigns in the VoL data. These have been combined into one for the purpose of this response.

Internet Collaborative Information Management System (iCIMS) - vacancies from January 2022 to 10 September 2024 (including vacancies in the process of being filled)

The number of vacant posts in iCIMS data is unknown where the job was cancelled or closed prior to 17 June 2022. Therefore, the number of vacant posts advertised and filled in 2021-22 is likely to be a slight underestimation.

The number of vacant posts in iCIMS is overwritten if it changes over time. Therefore, the vacant posts presented are based on either the number of posts being advertised for at the point the record was first created, or, the maximum number of posts associated with the vacancy at any point if the latter is greater.

Vacant posts filled is derived from candidates’ data with a status of 'hired'.

From October 24 the Scottish Government will move to an upgraded system called Oracle Cloud. The benefits that the new platform will bring will transform many of the ways that we work. Oracle Cloud will provide a single platform bringing together HR, finance and purchasing data for the first time, removing many of the inefficiencies of our previous standalone systems. The new platform will provide joined-up data to improve decision making and our approach to strategic and organisational design.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested.

The reasons why we don’t have the information are explained below.

The Scottish Government does not have the information

The Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have asked for the following reasons:

1. Vacancies advertised prior to January 2022 used the now-archived Vacancies Online system. We do not hold reliable information on the number of vacant or filled posts from this system.

2. Vacancies on iCIMS which are readvertised do so using a new job ID which cannot be linked to the original job ID. Therefore number of re-advertisements is not available.

This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have all the information you have requested.

Additional information provided out with FOISA

Above we advised you that the only information we can reliably provide from the now-archived Vacancies Online system is the number of recruitment campaigns.

Under section 15 of FOISA (our duty to provide advice and assistance) we have provided the number of recruitment campaigns for all years requested below.

Financial year	Recruitment campaigns advertised
2019-20	73
2020-21	75
2021-22 (VoL)	79
2021-22 (icims)	30
2022-23	56
2023-24	58
2024-25 to date	63

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.