This summary of local government workforce data looks primarily at the directly employed workforce. The data comes from multiple sources, therefore dates will vary. Additional data on teachers and the mainly-commissioned social care workforce are also summarised for convenience.
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Workforce numbers and breakdown
ONS Quarterly Public Sector Employment Survey (QPSES)
England & Wales
Q4 2022
- HEAD COUNT
- Q4 2012: 1,894,696
- Q4 2022: 1,195,898
- % change since Q4 2012: -36.8%
- FULL TIME EQUIVALENT (FTE)
- Q4 2012: 1,336,411
- Q4 2022: 912,991
- % change since Q4 2012: -31.7%
- FEMALE
- Q4 2012: 1,439,784
- Q4 2022: 891,861
- % change since Q4 2012: -38.1%
- MALE
- Q4 2012: 454,912
- Q4 2022: 304,035
- % change since Q4 2012: -22.4%
- PART-TIME
- Q4 2012: 1,003,100
- Q4 2022: 690,000
- % change since Q4 2012: -31.2%
- FULL-TIME
- Q4 2012: 826,100
- Q4 2022: 666,800
- % change since Q4 2012: -19.3%
- TEMPORARY/CASUAL
- Q4 2012: 259,400
- Q4 2022: 151,500
- % change since Q4 2012: -41.6%
- PERMANENT
- Q4 2012: 1,569,700
- Q4 2022: 1,205,300
- % change since Q4 2012: -23.2%
Gender pay gap 2022/23
Government Equalities Office, Statutory Return
England
MEAN: 4.1%
RANGE: -18.8% (WOMEN PAID MORE) TO 24.3% (WOMEN PAID LESS)
On average by number of authorities:
- Women were paid less than men in 77% (227) (see technical note 3)
- The pay gap was zero in less than 1% (2) (see technical note 3)
- Women were paid more than men in 22% (66) (see technical note 3)
Technical note 1:
ACAS explains that mean averages are useful because they place the same value on every number they use, giving a good overall indication of the gender pay gap, but very large or small pay rates or bonuses can ‘dominate’ and distort the answer. For example, mean averages can be useful where most employees in an organisation receive a bonus but could less useful in an organisation where the vast majority of bonus pay is received by a small number of board members.
MEDIAN: 2.5%
RANGE: -36.9% (WOMEN PAID MORE) TO 29.9% (WOMEN PAID LESS)
On average by number of authorities:
- Women were paid less than men in 5761% (167) (see technical note 3)
- The pay gap was zero in 13% (38) (see technical note 3)
- Women were paid more than men in 30% (90) (see technical note 3)
Technical note 2
Median averages are useful to indicate what the ‘typical’ situation is i.e. in the middle of an organisation and are not distorted by very large or small pay rates or bonuses. However, this means that not all gender pay gap issues will be picked up. For example, a median average might show a better indication of the ‘middle of the road’ pay gap in a sports club with a mean average distorted by very highly paid players and board members, but it could also fail to pick up as effectively where the pay gap issues are most pronounced in the lowest paid or highest paid employees.
Technical note 3
36 authorities (~11 per cent) had not provided gender pay gap data for 2020/21. These percentages are based on the 289 authorities which had provided data.
Pay and rewards system
LGA Workforce Survey
England
2021/22
- AUTOMATIC ANNUAL INCREMENTS (OR SIMPLE ANNUAL INCREMENTAL PROGRESSION) IS USED BY: 77% OF COUNCILS FOR THE MAJORITY OF THEIR STAFF
Recruitment and retention
LGA Workforce Survey
England
2021/22
- RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION DIFFICULTIES WERE EXPERIENCED BY: 94% OF COUNCILS
- THE TWO MOST COMMON RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION DIFFICULTIES WERE: MAKING NO SUBSTANTIVE CHANGES TO STAFFING NUMBERS (52%) AND INCREASING APPRENTICSHIPS (39%)
Labour turnover
LGA Workforce Survey
England
2021/22
- MEDIAN VACANCY RATE: 14.0%
2009/10
- MEDIAN VACANCY RATE: 8.0%
Capability skills gap
LGA Workforce Survey
England
CAPACITY
THE TOP THREE CAPACITY SKILLS GAPS ARE:
- MANAGING CHANGE (58%)
- PEOPLE MANAGEMENT (58%)
- SUPPORTING COMMERCIALITY (58%)
CAPABILITY
THE TOP THREE CAPACITY SKILLS GAPS ARE:
- PEOPLE MANAGEMENT (57%)
- MANAGING CHANGE (56%)
- SUPPORTING DIGITALISATION/USE OF TECHNOLOGY (48%)
Sickness absence
LGA Workforce Survey
England
2021/22
AVERAGE PERCENTAGE OF DAYS LOST DUE TO SICKNESS:
- 2021/22: 4.3% (8.7 days per FTE)
LGPS income and expenditure
MHCLG Local Government Finance Release
England
2021/22
Like-for-like changes removing the effects of mergers and large transfers.
Income
- 2018/19: £17.4bn
- 2021/22: £14.9bn
- Decrease: £2.5(14%)
Expenditure
- 2018/19: £12.7bn
- 2021/22: £13.6bn
- Increase: £0.9bn (7%)
LGPS members
MHCLG Local Government Finance Release
England
2021/22
Note: Pension Scheme data is produced annually and importantly it covers all scheme membership without separating Local Government employees from the other public sector and other bodies.
- Total: 5.9m people
- Current employees: 1.9m
- Former employees: 2.2m
- Pensioners: 1.9m
LGPS market value
MHCLG Local Government Finance Release
England
2021/22
- MARKET VALUE OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT PENSION SCHEME IN ENGLAND AT THE END OF MARCH 2022: £341bn
- A DECREASE OF £25.4bn OR 8.1%
LGPS retirements
MHCLG Local Government Finance Release
England
2021/22
- RETIREMENTS FROM THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT PENSION SCHEME IN ENGLAND AT THE END OF MARCH 2022: 90,422
- AN INCREASE OF 11,331 OR 14.3%
Teacher numbers
DfE Schools Workforce Census
England
2022
- HEADCOUNT: 512 THOUSAND
- FULL TIME EQUIVALENT: 466 THOUSAND
Average pay rates
DfE Schools Workforce Census
England
2022
- 2022 MEAN SALARY OF ALL TEACHERS IN STATE FUNDED SCHOOLS FTE: £42,358
- 2020 MEAN SALARY OF ALL TEACHERS IN STATE FUNDED SCHOOLS FTE: £41,799
- 2022 MEDIAN SALARY OF ALL TEACHERS IN STATE FUNDED SCHOOLS FTE: £39,982
Working pattern breakdown
DfE Schools Workforce Census
England
2022
Part-time head count:
- Male staff: 10.4 thousand
- Female staff: 112.2 thousand
Full-time head count:
- Male staff: 113.5 thousand
- Female staff: 274.6 thousand
Registered nurses
Skills for Care Social Care Survey
England
2021/22
- REGISTERED NURSES: 32,000; -37% DECREASE (DOWN ALMOST 19,000) SINCE 2012/13
Jobs vs. people
Skills for Care Social Care Survey
England
2021/22
- FTE JOBS: 1.17 MILLION (ESTIMATED)
- EMPLOYEES: 1.62 MILLION (ESTIMATED)
- JOB COUNT: 1.79 MILLION (ESTIMATED), UP 1% (10,000) SINCE 2020/21
- AVG. VACANCY RATE: 8% AS PER AUG 2022
Note: people may carry out more than one job in adult social care
Job sector
Skills for Care Social Care Survey
England
2021/22
ESTIMATED JOBS IN CARE HOMES WITH NURSING
- 2009: 235,000
- 2016: 290,000 (increase of 23%, 55,000)
- 2017: 285,000
- 2018: 295,000
- 2019/20: 285,000
- 2020/21: 285,000
- 2021/22: 270,000
Direct payments
Skills for Care Social Care Survey
England
2021/22
- 220,000 RECIPIENTS OF DIRECT PAYMENT (ADULTS / OLDER PEOPLE / CARERS)
- 29% (APPROXIMATELY 65,000) EMPLOY THEIR OWN STAFF
Forecasts & trends
Skills for Care Social Care Survey
England
2020/21
- 2012 to 2020/21: INCREASE OF 120,000 JOBS (8%) TO 1.62 MILLION
- 2020/21 to 2035: FORECASTED INCREASE OF 650,000 JOBS (27%) TO 2.27 MILLION
Further information
For more information on this data pack, email [email protected]
Social work scale
Skills for Care Social Care Survey
England
2021/22