Rise in number of workers in civil service and public bodies, figures show

The number of people working in Scotland’s civil service and public bodies has surged in recent years, figures have shown.

Employment in the civil service has increased by 71% since 2013 while the number of staff in “other public bodies” – which includes non-departmental public bodies – rose by 62%.

Scottish Labour said the job growth in the two categories grew more than three times faster than in the NHS and more than 10 times faster than in local government.

This came at the same time as the number of jobs in the police and fire services fell by 6% while workers in colleges and further education decreased by 10%.

As of the last quarter of 2024, there were 548,500 public-sector employees in Scotland, including 28,500 people in the civil service, 23,100 people in other public bodies and 27,400 in police and fire services.

The NHS and local government workforce still make up, by far, the majority of the public sector (Jeff Moore/PA). PA Media

The NHS, at 188,100 employees, and local government, at 261,000 employees, still make up the vast majority of the public-sector workforce, according to the Scottish Government’s figures.

There were another 12,200 in further education colleges and 9,000 in public corporations.

Labour said the figures showed the SNP had its priorities “all wrong”.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has previously criticised the rise of quangos under the SNP and at the party’s conference in Glasgow earlier this year pledged to create his own Scottish version of DOGE if he wins the next election.

DOGE (the department of government efficiency) in the US is headed by billionaire Elon Musk and was created by the new Trump administration to cut out Government waste.

Critics have warned about the extent and pace of cuts, which includes the attempt to eliminate USAID, America’s main foreign aid agency, as well as the nation’s consumer protection agency.

Labour has said Scotland’s non-departmental public bodies provide poor value for the taxpayer while allowing the SNP to dodge scrutiny.

Scottish Labour MSP Michael Marra accused the SNP of being ‘out of touch’ (Jane Barlow/PA). PA Media

Michael Marra, the party’s finance spokesman, said: “From our emergency services to our NHS to our schools, public services across Scotland are stretched to breaking point – but the SNP has its priorities all wrong.

“This out-of-touch SNP Government is writing a blank cheque for its own bloated operation and its ever-growing list of quangos while frontline jobs in key services lag behind or are cut.

“A Scottish Labour government will deliver good value for taxpayers by spending public money where it is needed – on frontline staff instead of government bureaucracy and managers.”

The calls from Scottish Labour echo those made by Sir Keir Starmer, who has vowed to cut civil service jobs and make the state leaner.

Earlier this month, the Prime Minister announced NHS England would be scrapped and brought under “democratic control”.

Scottish Labour has pointed out that Scotland has 132 quangos – more than the number of MSPs. Those include bodies such as VisitScotland, Creative Scotland and NatureScot.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government and public bodies are working together to deliver for the people of Scotland.

“Public bodies have a vital role in delivering the Scottish Government’s objectives and are key in areas such as health services, administering the justice system and supporting sustainable economic growth.

“The Scottish Government is working to ensure public services are sustainable, efficient and effective, investing £29.9m in an Invest to Save fund to reduce costs long term.

“Our work in this area is expected to save up to £280m over a two-year period by the end of 2024-25.

“We have also streamlined the public sector landscape by reducing the number of Scottish public bodies under our control from 199 in 2007 to 131 as at December 1, 2024.”