Public sector employment in Scotland: statistics for first quarter 2021
Statistics based on administrative records and surveys of individual public sector bodies carried out by the Scottish Government and the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This is a snapshot of employment as at March 2021.
Table 1: Number of people employed by public and private sector; Scotland, Headcount1
Not Seasonally Adjusted
| Quarter | Total Employment6 | Private Sector2 | Public Sector | Estimated Private Sector including major reclassifications3, 4 | Estimated Public Sector excluding major reclassifications3, 5 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level | Level | Percentage of total employment | Level | Percentage of total employment | Level | Percentage of total employment | Level | Percentage of total employment | |
| Q1 1999 | 2,228,000 | 1,682,700 | 75.5% | 545,600 | 24.5% | 1,701,000 | 76.3% | 527,000 | 23.7% |
| Q1 2015 | 2,621,000 | 2,058,900 | 78.6% | 561,900 | 21.4% | 2,087,000 | 79.6% | 534,000 | 20.4% |
| Q1 2016 | 2,575,000 | 2,013,300 | 78.2% | 562,200 | 21.8% | 2,043,000 | 79.3% | 533,000 | 20.7% |
| Q1 2017 | 2,644,000 | 2,085,100 | 78.9% | 559,000 | 21.1% | 2,113,000 | 79.9% | 531,000 | 20.1% |
| Q1 2018 | 2,643,000 | 2,083,100 | 78.8% | 559,900 | 21.2% | 2,111,000 | 79.9% | 532,000 | 20.1% |
| Q1 2019 | 2,676,000 | 2,120,700 | 79.3% | 555,000 | 20.7% | 2,133,000 | 79.7% | 543,000 | 20.3% |
| Q1 2020 | 2,629,000 | 2,066,600 | 78.6% | 562,600 | 21.4% | 2,079,000 | 79.1% | 550,000 | 20.9% |
| Q1 2021 | 2,648,000 | 2,068,700 | 78.1% | 579,400 | 21.9% | 2,087,000 | 78.8% | 561,000 | 21.2% |
| Change on year to: | |||||||||
| Q1 2021 | 18,900 | 2,100 | -0.5 p.p. | 16,810 | 0.5 p.p. | 8,000 | -0.3 p.p. | 11,000 | 0.3 p.p. |
| % change on year: | |||||||||
| Q1 2021 | 0.7% | 0.1% | 3.0% | 0.4% | 2.0% | ||||
Important Note: Estimates for total employment and private sector employment are based on the Labour Force Survey. Labour Force Survey (LFS) responses are weighted to official
population projections. As the current projections are 2018-based they are based on demographic trends that pre-date the COVID-19 pandemic. ONS are analysing the population totals used
in the weighting process and intend to make adjustments in July 2021. Rates published from the LFS remain robust; however, levels and changes in levels (for 2020 and 2021) should be used with caution.
Notes:
p.p. - percentage points
1. Employment figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred, unless otherwise stated. Change on year rounded to the nearest ten. Totals may not equal the sum of individual parts due to rounding.
2. Private sector is derived as the difference between the Labour Force Survey 'Total employment' workforce based estimate for the whole of Scotland (not seasonally adjusted) and the public sector estimate (derived from individual organisation statistical returns).
3. Major reclassifications include: Royal Bank of Scotland plc, Lloyds Banking Group plc, Northern Rock plc, Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance, Lloyds Bank Asset Finance, Scottish Widows, Direct Line, Royal Mail Group plc, Post Office Ltd (until Q2 2006), Network Rail, Registered Social Landlords and Train Operating Companies.
4. Private sector including major reclassifications includes the figures for the above organisations in the private sector series when they were part of the public sector and are rounded to the nearest thousand.
5. Public sector excluding major reclassifications excludes the figures for the above organisations from the public sector series when they were part of the public sector and are rounded to the nearest thousand.
6. Total employment figures are rounded to the nearest thousand and are taken from Labour Force Survey (LFS).
Contact
Email: LMStats@gov.scot
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