Ethnic group - 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 ethnic group in our internal HR system, recruitment systems and People Survey are 69.3%, 97.5% and 99.1% respectively.
The “ethnic minority” category below consists of the African, Caribbean or Black; Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British; Mixed or Multiple Ethnic Group; and Other Ethnic Group categories.
Workforce composition
Staff who haven’t declared their ethnic group are not included in the percentages below.
Headcounts
Ethnic minority staff make up 4.2% of the Scottish Government workforce, compared to 5.8% of Scotland’s population aged 16 to 64.
The chart below shows the breakdown of the Scottish Government workforce by ethnic group 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 population aged 16 to 64 by ethnic group 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 5a: Pay band or working pattern by ethnic group - Dec 2023
Part-time staff make up 16% 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 5a: Pay band, working pattern, DG or agency by ethnic group - Dec 2023
Recruitment
23.5% of applications come from ethnic minority applicants dropping to 6.1% of offers accepted.
The chart below shows the percentage breakdown of the ethnic group 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 population aged 16 to 64 by ethnic group is added as a comparison where available.
Figure 5b: Recruitment stage reached by ethnic group in 2023
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 5b: Recruitment stage reached by ethnic group in 2023
Turnover
10.6% of joiners and 4.9% of leavers are ethnic minority.
The chart below shows the breakdown of the Scottish Government workforce, the staff that joined in 2023 and the staff that left in 2023 by ethnic group. 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 ethnic group is added as a comparison where available.
Figure 5c: Joiners and leavers breakdown by ethnic group in 2023
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 ethnic group 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 5c: Joiners and leavers breakdown by ethnic group in 2023
Staff experiences
Figures for staff who haven’t declared their ethnic group are not included in the charts below, although they are included in the total figures.
Absences
9.9 working days are lost on average to sickness or absences for ethnic minority staff.
8.5 working days are lost on average to sickness or absences for white 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 5d: Average working days lost by ethnic group in 2023
Some cells in the table below might not contain data. These cells have been suppressed for confidentiality purposes, represented by [c].
Table 5d: Average working days lost by ethnic group in 2023
Performance
36.5% of ethnic minority staff achieved a marking of “Highly effective” or “Exceptional” in 2023.
55.1% of white staff achieved a marking of “Highly effective” or “Exceptional” in 2023.
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 5e: Performance marking breakdown by ethnic group - 2022-23
Some cells in the table below might not contain data. These cells have been suppressed for confidentiality purposes, represented by [c].
Table 5e: Performance marking breakdown by ethnic group - 2022-23
Substantive promotions
11.8% of ethnic minority staff were promoted in 2023.
9.2% of white staff were promoted in 2023.
The chart below shows the percentage breakdown of staff getting a promotion in 2023 by ethnic group. 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 5f: Proportion of staff promoted in 2023 by ethnic group
The “not promoted” group includes the following groups of staff:
- Staff that were unsuccessful in their application for a promotion in 2023.
- Staff who did not apply for a promotion in 2023.
- Staff that achieved a promotion in 2023 but didn’t start their new position until 2024.
Some cells in the table below might not contain data. These cells have been suppressed for confidentiality purposes, represented by [c].
Table 5f: Proportion of staff promoted in 2023 by ethnic group
Temporary promotions
9.9% of ethnic minority staff are on a temporary promotion.
7.3% of white 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 5g: Proportion of staff on a temporary promotion on Dec 2023 by ethnic group
Some cells in the table below might not contain data. These cells have been suppressed for confidentiality purposes, represented by [c].
Table 5g: Proportion of staff on a temporary promotion on Dec 2023 by ethnic group
Pay gap
The numbers below represent the average salary for all staff in the SG Main, SG Marine and SCS pay groups, which covers a different set of staff than the other figures in this publication.
The mean pay gap between ethnic minority and white staff on 31 December 2023 is 8.05%.
The median pay gap between ethnic minority and white staff on 31 December 2023 is 7.96%.
A positive pay gap indicates where White staff have a pay lead.
The chart below shows the mean and median pay for staff as at 31 December 2023 by ethnic group. The numbers below exclude staff that have not made a declaration in eHR.
Figure 5h: Average pay by ethnic group as at 31 December 2023
Some cells in the table below might not contain data. These cells have been suppressed for confidentiality purposes, represented by [c].
Table 5h: Average pay by ethnic group as at 31 December 2023
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.