About this publication

This is the 29th edition of this quarterly statistical report providing summary information on Scotland’s devolved employability services. This report focuses on the No One Left Behind strategic approach to employability delivery in Scotland covering the period April 2019 to September 2024. A separate report covers Fair Start Scotland (Access all employability statistics - opens in a new window).

Further detailed statistics for No One Left Behind are published in accompanying tables alongside this report.

No One Left Behind

No One Left Behind, introduced from April 2019, is a different approach to employability delivery which moves away from funding and delivering a number of separate and distinct employability programmes, to a more flexible approach. This system is more tailored and responsive to the needs of people of all ages who want help and support on their journey towards, into and in work - particularly people with health conditions, disabled people and others who are disadvantaged in the labour market.

The key priorities for No One Left Behind were set-out in the No One Left Behind: employability strategic plan 2024 to 2027 (Access the strategic plan – opens in a new window) published in September 2024.

Please refer to supplementary Background and Methodology Report for more details on No One Left Behind and associated data.

Shared Measurement Framework Data Reporting Template

From October 2022 (July 2022 for 13 Local Authorities who adopted the new template early), a new data reporting template (Access the new data template - opens in a new window) co-designed with a cross-sectoral group and aligned to the Shared Measurement Framework (SMF) has been in place. We continue to work closely with Local Authorities to improve the accuracy and quality of returns following this transition.

Official Statistics in Development

Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics (Access the Code of Practice – opens in a new window) that all producers of official statistics should adhere to. The statistics presented are Official Statistics in Development.

You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards by emailing: employabilitydata@gov.scot. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing: regulation@statistics.gov.uk.

Data Developments and Issues in this Edition

• Age is under review. We now use both “age at start date” and the newly added “date of birth” variable to determine participants’ age upon first joining No One Left Behind. We are working closely with Local Authorities to examine any discrepancies.
• Further information on data quality is available in the supplementary Background and Methodology Report.