Sex & gender - Scottish Government
The data below covers staff working in core Scottish Government directorate generals, some agencies and some non-ministerial departments. Data covering staff in core Scottish Government directorate generals only is also available. More details can be found in the notes of this publication.
Declaration rates for sex in our internal HR system, recruitment systems and People Survey are 100%, 97.9% and 94.0% respectively. Data on the sex of employees within the Scottish Government is complete, as this is gathered during the recruitment process once an offer has been accepted. Data on the sex of applicants in our recruitment system and of survey respondents to the People Survey are not complete and include a ‘Prefer not to say’ response option.
Workforce composition
Headcounts
Female staff make up 57.3% of the Scottish Government workforce, compared to 51.1% of Scotland’s population aged 16 to 64.
The chart below shows the breakdown of the Scottish Government workforce by sex 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 sex 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 2a: Pay band or working pattern, by sex - Dec 2024
Part-time staff make up 16.4% 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 2a: Pay band, working pattern, DG or agency, by sex - Dec 2024
Recruitment
45.4% of applications come from female applicants rising to 56.7% of offers accepted.
The chart below shows the percentage breakdown of the sex 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 sex is added as a comparison where available.
Figure 2b: Recruitment stage reached in 2024, by sex
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 2b: Recruitment stage reached in 2024, by sex
Turnover
58.8% of joiners and 60.1% of leavers are female.
The chart below shows the breakdown of the Scottish Government workforce, the staff that joined in 2024 and the staff that left in 2024 by sex. 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 sex is added as a comparison where available.
Figure 2c: Joiners and leavers in 2024, by sex
The chart above does not include any movement to, from or between any other Scottish Government organisations.
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 2c: Joiners and leavers in 2024, by sex
Staff experiences
Absences
10.1 working days are lost on average to sickness or absences for female staff.
7.8 working days are lost on average to sickness or absences for male 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 2d: Average working days lost in 2024, by sex
Some cells in the table below might not contain data. These cells have been suppressed for confidentiality purposes, represented by [c].
Table 2d: Average working days lost in 2024, by sex
Performance
52.8% of female staff achieved a marking of “Highly effective” or “Exceptional” in 2024.
47.5% of male staff achieved a marking of “Highly effective” or “Exceptional” in 2024.
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.
Figure 2e: Performance markings in 2023-24, by sex
Some cells in the table below might not contain data. These cells have been suppressed for confidentiality purposes, represented by [c].
Table 2e: Performance markings in 2023-24, by sex
Substantive promotions
13.1% of female staff were promoted in 2024.
12.5% of male staff were promoted in 2024.
The chart below shows the percentage breakdown of staff getting a promotion in 2024 by sex. 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.
Figure 2f: Proportion of staff promoted in 2024, by sex
The “not promoted” group includes the following groups of staff:
- Staff that were unsuccessful in their application for a promotion in 2024.
- Staff who did not apply for a promotion in 2024.
- Staff that achieved a promotion in 2024 but didn’t start their new position until 2025.
Some cells in the table below might not contain data. These cells have been suppressed for confidentiality purposes, represented by [c].
Table 2f: Proportion of staff promoted in 2024, by sex
Temporary promotions
3.9% of female staff are on a temporary promotion.
3.5% of male 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.
Figure 2g: Proportion of staff on a temporary promotion on Dec 2024, by sex
Some cells in the table below might not contain data. These cells have been suppressed for confidentiality purposes, represented by [c].
Table 2g: Proportion of staff on a temporary promotion on Dec 2024, by sex
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 female and male staff on 31 December 2024 is 2.83%.
The median pay gap between female and male staff on 31 December 2024 is 6.31%.
A positive pay gap indicates where male staff have a pay lead.
The mean pay gap between part-time female and full-time male staff on 31 December 2024 is 1.11%.
The median pay gap between part-time female and full-time male staff on 31 December 2024 is 5.6%.
A positive pay gap indicates where full-time male staff have a pay lead.
The chart below shows the mean and median pay for staff as at 31 December 2024 by sex. The numbers below exclude staff that have not made a declaration in eHR.
Figure 2h: Average pay on 31 December 2024, by sex
Some cells in the table below might not contain data. These cells have been suppressed for confidentiality purposes, represented by [c].
Table 2h: Average pay on 31 December 2024, by sex
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.