Religion - Scottish Government
The data below covers staff working in core Scottish Government directorate generals, some agencies and some non-ministerial departments. More details can be found in the notes of this publication.
Declaration rates for religion in our internal HR system, recruitment systems and People Survey are 66.2%, 94.1% and 81.6% respectively.
The “any other religion” category below consists of individials identifying as Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Pagan, Sikh, and any other non-Christian religion.
Workforce composition
Staff who haven’t declared their religion are not included in the percentages below.
Headcounts
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Staff belonging to a non-Christian religion make up 3.7% of the Scottish Government workforce, compared to 4.2% of Scotland’s working age population (16 to 64).
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Staff belonging to a Christian religion make up 32.6% of the Scottish Government workforce, compared to 35.7% of Scotland’s working age population (16 to 64).
The chart below shows the breakdown of the Scottish Government workforce by religion and either pay band or working pattern (i.e. full-time or part-time). Percentages may include up (↑) or down (↓) arrows to indicate figures that are significantly higher or lower than the staff average. The percentage breakdown of Scotland’s working age population by religion is added as a comparison where available.
A table below the chart also shows the breakdown for each Scottish Government agency, Director General area or other body covered by this publication
Figure 6a: Pay band or working pattern by religion - Dec 2022
Part-time staff make up 15.4% of all permanent staff.
Some cells in the table below might not contain data. These cells have been suppressed for confidentiality purposes, represented by [c], or are not present in a given data source, represented by [x].
Table 6a: Pay band, working pattern, DG or agency by religion - Dec 2022
Recruitment
8.3% of applications come from applicants belonging to a non-Christian religion dropping to 3.3% of offers accepted.
26.4% of applications come from applicants belonging to a Christian religion dropping to 25.6% of offers accepted.
The chart below shows the percentage breakdown of the religion of applications to work for the Scottish Government at each stage of the recruitment process. Applicants applying to multiple jobs are included for each application they make. The percentage breakdown of Scotland’s working age population by religion is added as a comparison where available.
Figure 6b: Recruitment stage reached by religion in 2022
The stages of the recruitment process are explained later in this report
Some cells in the table below might not contain data. These cells have been suppressed for confidentiality purposes, represented by [c], or are not present in a given data source, represented by [x].
Table 6b: Recruitment stage reached by religion in 2022
Turnover
26.3% of joiners and 35.6% of leavers are Christian.
The chart below shows the breakdown of the Scottish Government workforce, the staff that joined in 2022 and the staff that left in 2022 by religion. Percentages may include up (↑) or down (↓) arrows to indicate figures that are significantly higher or lower than the staff average. The percentage breakdown of Scotland’s working-age population by religion is added as a comparison where available.
Figure 6c: Joiners and leavers breakdown by religion in 2022
The chart above does not include any movement to, from or between any other Scottish Government organisations.
There is a higher rate of uncertainty in the breakdown of joiners, as the declaration rate of religion among staff increases with time spent working for the Scottish Government.
Some cells in the table below might not contain data. These cells have been suppressed for confidentiality purposes, represented by [c], or are not present in a given data source, represented by [x].
Table 6c: Joiners and leavers breakdown by religion in 2022
Staff experiences
Figures for staff who haven’t declared their religion are not included in the charts below, although they are included in the total figures.
Absences
9.6 working days are lost on average to sickness or absences for staff belonging to a non-Christian religion.
8 working days are lost on average to sickness or absences for staff belonging to a Christian religion.
7.4 working days are lost on average to sickness or absences for non-religious staff.
AWDL is a measure of levels of absence that allows for comparison between different groups. A higher AWDL figure indicates a higher rate of days absent among that group, relative to the number of staff in that group and their working pattern.
Figure 6d: Average working days lost by religion in 2022
Some cells in the table below might not contain data. These cells have been suppressed for confidentiality purposes, represented by [c].
Table 6d: Average working days lost by religion in 2022
Performance
45.2% of staff belonging to a non-Christian religion achieved a marking of “Highly effective” or “Exceptional” in 2022.
55.8% of staff belonging to a Christian religion achieved a marking of “Highly effective” or “Exceptional” in 2022.
55.9% of non-religious staff achieved a marking of “Highly effective” or “Exceptional” in 2022.
Performance is assessed annually in April. Percentages may include up (↑) or down (↓) arrows to indicate figures that are significantly higher or lower than the staff average. The staff average includes staff who have not made a declaration.
Figure 6e: Performance marking breakdown by religion - 2021-22
Some cells in the table below might not contain data. These cells have been suppressed for confidentiality purposes, represented by [c].
Table 6e: Performance marking breakdown by religion - 2021-22
Substantive promotions
11.7% of staff belonging to a non-Christian religion were promoted in 2022.
9.9% of staff belonging to a Christian religion were promoted in 2022.
11.9% of non-religious staff were promoted in 2022.
The chart below shows the percentage breakdown of staff getting a promotion in 2022 by religion. The percentages below are not the success rates of staff that apply for promotion. Percentages may include up (↑) or down (↓) arrows to indicate figures that are significantly higher or lower than the staff average. The staff average includes staff who have not made a declaration.
Figure 6f: Proportion of staff promoted in 2022 by religion
The “not promoted” group includes the following groups of staff:
- Staff that were unsuccessful in their application for a promotion in 2022.
- Staff who did not apply for a promotion in 2022.
- Staff that achieved a promotion in 2022 but didn’t start their new position until 2023.
Some cells in the table below might not contain data. These cells have been suppressed for confidentiality purposes, represented by [c].
Table 6f: Proportion of staff promoted in 2022 by religion
Temporary promotions
7.9% of staff belonging to a non-Christian religion are on a temporary promotion.
8.2% of staff belonging to a Christian religion are on a temporary promotion.
8.9% of non-religious staff are on a temporary promotion.
The chart below shows the percentage of Scottish Government staff on a temporary promotion. Percentages may include up (↑) or down (↓) arrows to indicate figures that are significantly higher or lower than the staff average. The staff average includes staff who have not made a declaration.
Figure 6g: Proportion of staff on a temporary promotion on Dec 2022 by religion
Some cells in the table below might not contain data. These cells have been suppressed for confidentiality purposes, represented by [c].
Table 6g: Proportion of staff on a temporary promotion on Dec 2022 by religion
Workforce culture
The data on workforce culture used in this publication comes from the Civil Service People Survey and covers core Scottish Government (SG Core) only. This data can be found on the SG Core page.