The Government Industry

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In Scotland, government is an important sector; it provides jobs for a large number of Scottish people. Scotland has its own government with a budget of over Ł27 billion; this is distributed to local councils and public bodies.

In 2007 there were 578,600 people employed within the public sector in Scotland.

Public sector jobs on Scotland include

Local Government excluding police and fire and related services (50%)
NHS (26.6%)
Civil Service (8.7%)
Public Corporations (4.4%)
Non Departmental Public Bodies (2.5%) (for example Scottish Enterprise)
Armed Forces (2.3%)
The Scottish Government employs over 15,000 staff

Areas Included

The Government sector provides a range of services for us, the public. The Scottish Government has responsibility for:

Health
Education and training
Local government
Social work and housing
Economic development and transport
Law and home affairs
The environment
Sport and the arts
Agriculture, fisheries and forestry

The UK Government is still responsible for:

Defence
Foreign Affairs
Immigration.

Local government is the collective term for local councils of which there are 32 in Scotland.

There is a diverse range of jobs in government; covering around 600 jobs.
The Armed Services also offer a range of jobs; many of which are not available anywhere else. The Army, alone has over 130 different types of job.
There are jobs at all levels; administrative, clerical and secretarial jobs are the largest group of jobs.

For a full list of jobs in Government see below.

What’s It like working in the Government?

This industry will appeal most to those with an interest in and a belief in the provision of public services.
The number of men and women in this industry are more or less equal.

However, more females work part-time. In total, part-timers account for just fewer than 1 in 5 jobs.

There is little or no self employment.
Only 9% of the regular Armed Services are women. The majority of jobs are open to both men and women (RAF – 96% of jobs; Royal Navy – 73% of jobs; Army – 70% of jobs).
More than two thirds of employees are aged 35 and over.
The workforce is more highly qualified than in other sectors.
Employees in this sector are more likely to stay with their employer. In 2004, 57% of employees had been with their current employer for five years or more.

Future Trends

The number of jobs is expected to increase by 2% over the next 10 years.
A third of the workforce needs to be replaced by 2017; to replace workers retiring or leaving the workforce.
The ageing of the population will have an impact on services.
Job prospects in this industry are subject to change in the political views of the government of the day.
The national "e-government" strategy may affect future job prospects and the skills needed; it aims to have all services available on-line to the public.

Find out more about where the jobs are in your area.

Useful Information

Government Skills is the Sector Skills Council for all government departments.

Scottish Government - details of all current job vacancies within the Government.

Civil Service Recruitment Gateway - jobs in the Civil Service and current vacancies.

Local Government Careers - jobs in local government.

Each of the Armed Services has their own website:

Occupations

Accountant - Public Sector
Administrative Assistant - Civil Service
Administrative Officer - Civil Service
Armed Forces Pilot
Army Officer
Army Serviceman/woman
Careers Adviser/Officer
Civil Servant
Cleaner - Industrial
Clerk
Coastguard
Court Officer or Macer
Court Reporter
Customs Officer
Diplomatic Service Officer
European Union Administrator
Excise Officer
Firefighter
Health and Safety Inspector
Health Education/Promotion Officer
Home Care Assistant
Home Care Organiser
Housing Assistant
Housing Officer
Immigration Officer
Local Government Administrator
Local Government Clerical Assistant
Pest Controller
Political Researcher
Politician
Race Equality Officer
RAF Airman/woman
RAF Officer
Recycling Officer
Revenue Executive
Road Safety Officer
Royal Marines Commando
Royal Marines Officer
Royal Navy Officer
Royal Navy Rating
Safety Adviser
Scientist
Social Researcher
Statistician
Tax Adviser
Tax Inspector
Town Planner
Town Planning Technician
Trading Standards Officer
VAT Officer