We use cookies to collect anonymous data to help us improve your site browsing experience.

Click 'Accept all cookies' to agree to all cookies that collect anonymous data. To only allow the cookies that make the site work, click 'Use essential cookies only.' Visit 'Set cookie preferences' to control specific cookies.

Set cookie preferences

Your cookie preferences have been saved. You can change your cookie settings at any time.

Publication - Statistics

PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYMENT IN SCOTLAND STATISTICS FOR 4th QUARTER 2015

Published
16 March 2016
ISBN
9781786521682

The statistics in this release are 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 December 2015. The publication includes information on public sector employment in Scotland with distinctions made for employment in devolved bodies and reserved bodies (located in Scotland).

View supporting documents Supporting documents

Table 4: Total devolved public sector employment by sector; Scotland, Headcount

Not Seasonally Adjusted

  Total Devolved
Public Sector
NHS6 		Civil Service8 Police and Fire Services2 Further Education Colleges3,5 Other Public Bodies3,8 Local Government2,4,7 Public Corporations
Q4 1999 474,400 129,800 14,500 - 15,700 8,600 296,300 9,500
Q4 2009 522,200 160,800 17,500 - 16,000 15,800 305,700 6,400
Q4 2010 509,900 158,000 17,700 - 16,800 15,300 295,900 6,200
Q4 2011 489,900 154,400 16,600 - 15,000 14,600 283,100 6,300
Q4 2012 485,300 155,800 16,400 - 13,600 15,100 277,900 6,400
Q4 2013 486,300 158,100 16,700 29,300 13,600 13,700 247,400 7,400
Q4 2014 488,300 160,500 17,300 28,600 13,900 14,100 246,700 7,200
Q4 2015 487,800 161,400 16,800 28,200 13,900 15,300 244,800 7,400
Change on year to:
Q4 2015 -500 900 -500 -400 100 1,200 -1,900 200
% change on year:
Q4 2015 -0.1% 0.6% -3.0% -1.5% 0.5% 8.7% -0.8% 3.0%

Notes:

1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred except change on year for Other Public Bodies; percentages are based on unrounded figures. "-" denotes blank entries.
2. Police and Fire Reform: From Q2 2013 Police and Fire Services have been reclassified as central government rather than local government (as their predecessors were). All police staff are employed by the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) whether deployed with the SPA or with the Police Service of Scotland. Although the SPA is an 'Other Public Body' to avoid duplication and ensure comprehensive numbers are reported for the Police and Fire category, from Q2 2013 all police staff have been included within the Police and Fire category (and not in the Other Public Bodies category).
3. In October 2012 the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) merged with 3 colleges to form Scotland's Rural College. This new organisation is classified as a public body as the SAC was. This has resulted in staffing levels moving from the Further Education to Other Public Bodies categories to reflect the merger of these organisations. Although the SPA is an 'Other Public Body' to avoid duplication and ensure comprehensive numbers are reported for the Police and Fire category, from Q2 2013 all police staff have been included within the Police and Fire category (and not in the Other Public Bodies category).
4. A number of local government staff have transferred to arms length organisations which are part of the private sector under National Accounts definitions. For example, staff transferrred from Scottish Borders Council to SB Cares on 1st April 2015 and from Angus Council to Angus Alive on 1st December 2015 thus explaining part of the decrease in local government employment.
5. Information for further education colleges in Scotland is based on collected information from Q4 2010. The method used to create the back series is detailed in the background notes of this publication.
6. From Q4 2011, NHS has responsibility for employing Healthcare staff within prisons. Previously, these people were employed directly by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS). Also, In Q2 2012 1,491 & 1062.1 FTE headcount staff transferred from Highland Council to NHS Highland as a result of the move to integrated health and social care services.
7. Prior to Q2 2006, Scottish Borders Council headcount and FTE figures do not include Casual/Relief employees who were paid in the reference period. This means that these figures underestimate the true headcount and FTE for Scottish Borders Council.
8. In Q4 2015, Historic Scotland (previously part of the devolved civil service) merged with the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (a non-departmental public body in the other public bodies category) to become Historic Environment Scotland in the Other Public Bodies category.
9. Detailed tables showing a full time series of data - all quarters back to Q1 1999 - are available to download from the Public Sector Employment Websection: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Labour-Market/PublicSectorEmployment

Contact

Email: Claire Gordon

Back to top