Spotlight
Public Sector Employment by Sector; Central Gov; UK; HC; SA; Thousands
3,349 000's
2020 Q3
- Release date:
- 15 December 2020
- Next release:
- 16 March 2021

Public sector employment, UK: September 2020
What's in the bulletin?
- Total public sector employment was an estimated 5.56 million for September 2020, an increase of 8,000 (0.1%) compared with June 2020 and an increase of 143,000 (2.6%) compared with September 2019.
- Employment in public corporations was 199,000, up 44,000 (28.4%) on the previous year mainly because train operating companies transferred to the public sector in June 2020; on the previous quarter it is down 3,000 (1.5%) mainly because housing associations in Northern Ireland transferred back to the private sector in September 2020.
- The National Health Service employed an estimated 1.78 million people in September 2020, a decrease of 7,000 (0.4%) compared with June 2020 but an increase of 65,000 (3.8%) compared with September 2019; the increase since the previous year was impacted by the response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic between March and June 2020.

Is pay higher in the public or private sector?
How has public and private sector pay changed over the last 10 years?
Time series related to Public sector personnel
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3,349 000's 2020 Q3
- Release date:
- 15 December 2020
- Next release:
- 16 March 2021
-
2,012 000's 2020 Q3
- Release date:
- 15 December 2020
- Next release:
- 16 March 2021
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4,658 000's 2020 Q3
- Release date:
- 15 December 2020
- Next release:
- 16 March 2021
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36 2020 Q3
- Release date:
- 15 December 2020
- Next release:
- 16 March 2021
-
157 2020 Q3
- Release date:
- 15 December 2020
- Next release:
- 16 March 2021
Datasets related to Public sector personnel
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Public sector employment
Quarterly estimates of UK and regional public sector employment, made up of central government (including Civil Service), local government and public corporations. The estimates also include an industrial breakdown.
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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.
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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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Public sector employment time series
Seasonally adjusted and non-seasonally adjusted quarterly time series of UK public sector employment, containing the latest estimates.
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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.
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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.
Publications related to Public sector personnel
Statistical bulletins
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Public sector employment, UK: September 2020
Estimates of people employed in the public and private sectors in the UK.
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Civil Service statistics, UK: 2018
Employment statistics for the Civil Service population, providing regional analyses, diversity and earnings data.
Articles
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Who works in the public sector?
Using the Annual Population Survey to explore the demographics of the people who work in the public sector.
Methodology related to Public sector personnel
Looking for local statistics?
A handy guide to let you know where to find local statistics.