Recruitment Analysis – Scotland

Councils employed an estimated 56,500 workers in social services
in December 2004 with about 8,500 being men and the rest women
(wte).

From December 2003 to December 2004 nearly 1,347 (wte) extra
staff were employed in Scottish social work or a 3 per cent
increase. This increase was due to a combination of recruitment of
home helps and the transfer and reclassification of staff from
other service groups.

There are just over 4,700 social workers in Scottish councils, a
15 per cent rise since October 2003.

Just over 2,000 of those working in children’s services,
1,500 work in adult services and the rest work in offenders and
generic services.

About 980 social works are senior with the rest being made up
other grades.

There were 575 vacancies (wte), 11 per cent of social workers.
In February 2004 vacancies were running at 14 per cent. Just over
half of these vacancies have lasted for six months or more.

About half of all staff were part-time women.

More than half of social services staff (57 per cent) are in pay
band C, which can be up to £22,374 a year.