Public Sector Employment in Scotland Statistics for 1st Quarter 2023

Summary

Key points - based on headcount data:

• in March 2023, there were 598,600 people employed in the public sector in Scotland, accounting for 22.5% of total employment^[1].
• in March 2023, employment in the public sector was 3,210 (0.5%) more than in March 2022.
• when major reclassifications are excluded, the public sector increased between March 2022 and March 2023 by around 3,000 (0.5%)^[2].
• of the total 598,600 people employed in the public sector in Scotland, 542,200 (90.6%) were employed in the devolved public sector in March 2023. This was 2,880 (0.5%) more than in March 2022.
• between March 2022 and March 2023, employment in the devolved public sector increased by:
  • 1,970 (0.8%) in Local Government
  • 880 (3.3%) in the Devolved Civil Service
  • 760 (5.8%) in Public Corporations
  • 420 (2.7%) in Other Public Bodies
• Employment in the devolved public sector decreased by:
  • 770 (-0.4%) in the NHS
  • 330 (-2.4%) in Further Education Colleges
  • 50 (-0.2%) in Police and Fire Related Services
• in March 2023, there were 56,400 people employed in the Reserved Public Sector in Scotland. This was 330 (0.6%) more than in March 2022. The Reserved Public Sector accounts for 9.4% of total public sector employment in Scotland.
• between March 2022 and March 2023, employment within the Reserved Public Sector decreased in the reserved Civil Service by 640 (-2.5%). Employment increased in Other Public Sector^[3] by 970 (4.8%).