Trans status - 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.
The term “trans” is used as a shorthand for “transgender” and encompasses multiple trans and non-binary identities. The terms “cis” or “cisgender” refer to individuals who are not trans and do not have a trans history.
Data on turnover and promotions of trans staff or staff with a trans history has not been included in this publication. Due to the low numbers of trans staff within the Scottish Government, such measures could be disclosive and have been proactively removed here to reduce the risk of disclosure of sensitive information.
Declaration rates for trans status or history in our internal HR system, recruitment systems and People Survey are 38.5%, 97.2% and 94.7% respectively.
Declaration rates for our internal HR system are currently low due to the introduction of this question for the first time in October 2024.
Workforce composition
Staff who haven’t declared their trans status or history are not included in the percentages below.
Headcounts
Staff that are trans or have a trans history make up 0.6% of the Scottish Government workforce, compared to 0.5% of Scotland’s population aged 16 to 64.
The chart below shows the breakdown of the Scottish Government workforce by trans status or history 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 trans status or history 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 3a: Pay band or working pattern, by trans status or history - 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 3a: Pay band, working pattern, DG or agency, by trans status or history - Dec 2024
Recruitment
0.9% of applications come from applicants that are trans or have a trans history rising to 1.1% of offers accepted.
The chart below shows the percentage breakdown of the trans status or history 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 trans status or history is added as a comparison where available.
Figure 3b: Recruitment stage reached in 2024, by trans status or history
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 3b: Recruitment stage reached in 2024, by trans status or history
Staff experiences
Figures for staff who haven’t declared their trans status or history are not included in the charts below, although they are included in the total figures.
Absences
10.6 working days are lost on average to sickness or absences for staff that are trans or have a trans history.
7.2 working days are lost on average to sickness or absences for staff that are not trans and do not have a trans history.
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 3c: Average working days lost in 2024, by trans status or history
Some cells in the table below might not contain data. These cells have been suppressed for confidentiality purposes, represented by [c].
Table 3c: Average working days lost in 2024, by trans status or history
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.