Public sector personnel

People employed in central and local government, and public corporations, including second jobs in the public sector. Includes Civil Service employment with regional and diversity analyses.

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Public Sector Employment by Sector; Central Gov; UK; HC; SA; Thousands

3,608 000's

2022 Q4

Release date:
14 March 2023
Next release:
13 June 2023
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Public sector employment, UK: December 2022

What's in the bulletin?

  • Total public sector employment increased in December 2022 compared with the previous quarter and the previous year; central government is the main contributor to the rise, with employment in local government and public corporations being little changed compared with the previous quarter and previous year.
  • There were an estimated 5.80 million employees in the public sector in December 2022, which is 34,000 (0.6%) more than in September 2022 and 84,000 (1.5%) more than in December 2021.
  • Employment in central government was an estimated 3.61 million in December 2022, a rise of 32,000 (0.9%) compared with September 2022 and 84,000 (2.4%) compared with December 2021; the main contributors to this increase were the NHS, local authority schools becoming academies, and the Civil Service.
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Datasets related to Public sector personnel

  • Public sector employment

    Quarterly estimates of UK and regional public sector employment, made up of central government, local government, and public corporations.

  • Civil Service statistics

    Annual data on Civil Service employment in the UK, including gender, ethnicity, disability status, earnings and location of the Civil Service workforce. This dataset has now been transferred to the Cabinet Office.

  • Civil Service statistics data summary tool

    An interactive tool allowing users to compare government departments and the Civil Service average, including the split between men and women, full-time and part-time employees, permanent and temporary appointments and regional analysis.

  • Public sector employment time series

    Seasonally adjusted and non-seasonally adjusted quarterly time series of UK public sector employment, containing the latest estimates.

  • Civil Service statistics

    Annual data on Civil Service employment in the UK, including gender, ethnicity, disability status, earnings and location of the Civil Service workforce. This dataset has now been transferred to the Cabinet Office.

  • Civil Service statistics data summary tool

    An interactive tool allowing users to compare government departments and the Civil Service average, including the split between men and women, full-time and part-time employees, permanent and temporary appointments and regional analysis.

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Publications related to Public sector personnel

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Methodology related to Public sector personnel

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