Scottish Government
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Scottish private sector employment increases

A National Statistics Publication for Scotland.

Employment in the private sector in Scotland has increased by 5.5 per cent over the past year.

Public Sector Employment Statistics for Scotland, released today by Scotland’s Chief Statistician, shows that over the year to quarter four 2013, employment in the private sector in Scotland has increased by 103,900, or 5.5 per cent. This compares to a decrease in employment of 13,800, or 2.4 per cent, in Scotland’s public sector.

In quarter four 2013 there were a total of 566,300 people employed in the public sector in Scotland, accounting for 22.1 per cent of total employment in the country. This is the lowest the proportion of employment in the public sector has been since 1999, when the data collection began. The level of employment in the public sector is similar to that seen in 2002; however removing the public sector financial institutions, which came into the public sector in 2008, sees a level lower than that seen in 1999, when the collection began.

These statistics show that there were 1,992,200 people employed in the Scottish private sector, 77.9 per cent of total employment in Scotland.

In Scotland, the devolved public sector saw an increase of 500 since quarter four 2012 compared with a decrease of 14,300 in employment in the reserved public sector.

Within Scotland’s devolved public sector, the largest decrease was seen in employment in Local Government, down 30,700 over the year. However much of this is accounted for by reforms to Scottish Police and Fire Services which has seen the new single forces reclassified to central government, amounting to 29,300. The NHS in Scotland saw an increase in employment of 2,400, 1.5 per cent and the devolved civil service increased by 300, 1.6 per cent; largely due to increased employment in the Scottish Prison Service in preparation for the opening of a new prison.

In the Scottish reserved public sector, the decrease of 14,300 was driven by employment in public corporations. In the main this was the result of reclassification of Royal Mail and Direct Line Group, by Office of National Statistics (ONS), from reserved public corporations into Plcs. Employment also decreased in both reserved civil service by 1,100, 3.7 per cent and public bodies by 300, 3.7 per cent, over the year. Employment in public sector financial institutions increased by 2,200, 7.5 per cent over the year to quarter four 2013.

The figures released today were produced by independent statistical staff free from any political interference, in accordance with professional standards set out in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

Notes to editors

The full National Statistics publication can be accessed at: http://scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2014/03/7832

In addition to the National Statistics publication there is also a Public Sector Employment Statistics Websection containing:

Information on local government employment for Scotland and by Local Authority.

Detailed tables showing a full-time series – all quarters back to Q1 1999.

Further information on youth employment in the devolved public sector covering Q1 2013.

The data are not seasonally adjusted and therefore comparisons should only be made with the same quarter over time.

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