Scottish Social Services Workforce Data
Publications
Our workforce data, information and intelligence publications are all available from this section of the web-site. Immediately below are quick links to our most recent publications. More detailed information on each publication can be found on our Detailed Data page
Date | Publication | |
Mar 25 | Workforce Skills Report 2025 | Here |
Mar 25 | Staff vacancies in care services report 2023 | Here |
Feb 25 | Economic and social value of the UK adult social care sector: Scotland | Here |
Nov 24 | Analysis of diversity data and research report November 2024 | Here |
Nov 24 | Social worker filled posts and vacancies six-monthly survey at June 2024 | Here |
Oct 24 | Register annual report 2023 to 2024 | Here |
Aug 24 | Scottish Social Service Sector: Report on 2023 Workforce Data | Here |
Aug 24 | Mental Health Officers (Scotland) Report 2023 | Here |
Apr 24 | Digital Capabilities within the Adult Social Care Workforce in Scotland | Here |
Feb 24 | The Distribution of the Social Service Workforce Report | Here |
Jan 24 | The Fitness to Practise report | Here |
Oct 23 | Social worker filled posts and vacancies six-monthly survey | Here |
Sep 23 | The 2022 Staff vacancies in care services report | Here |
Sep 23 | Scottish Social Service Sector: Report on 2022 Workforce Data | Here |
Sep 23 | Register annual report 2022 to 2023 | Here |
Aug 23 | Mental Health Officers (Scotland) Report 2022 | Here |
Jun 23 | Movement of Day Care of Children Staff Report | Here |
Nov 22 | Staff vacancies in care services 2021 | Here |
Quarterly | Registration and Early Learning and Childcare data | Here |
July 2019
The Demand For Social Workers
We have published the Demand For Social Workers report.
This report examines data from a range of sources on the supply and demand for social workers in Scotland. It begins with admissions and completions from social work training courses and looks at the numbers who then register with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) as newly qualified social workers (NQSWs). It then considers the total number on the Register and the numbers employed as practising social workers (PSWs) by local authorities. Sections 4 and 5 consider drivers of demand and projected numbers of social workers required in the future. The final section provides some conclusions and suggestions for action.
June 2019
Using SSSC registration data to examine workforce movements
Part two of the National Workforce Plan for Health and Social Care sets out current and future workforce challenges and identifies several recommendations.
We are leading work to identify how to improve career opportunities along with relevant training and education to support the workforce.
This data analysis is a longitudinal piece of work and we intend to expand our collaborative and explorative approach with the sector to enhance the process and ultimately the usefulness of the findings.
Exploring education and training to improve our understanding of social service career pathways
Exploring education and training to improve our understanding of social service career pathways focuses on education and training in the sector as it plays a role in supporting entry and progression.
2017-2018 SVQ report
The 2017-2018 report provides SVQ provision data separately for social services and healthcare (primarily Adult services) and Children and Young People frameworks as well as the proportion of SVQ activity made up by Modern Apprenticeships (MAs) in Scotland.
April 2019
Economic Value Report Addendum
The economic Value report on adult social care was published in 2018 and can be found here on the SSSC workforce data website.
The partners in Skills for Care & Development who commissioned the research into the economic value of adult social care agreed to commission an Addendum to the report to explore some of the unanswered questions raised in the main reports.
The main aims for this additional research were:
■ Provide a breakdown of the economic value of the adult social care sector using the expenditure approach by type of service provider (public, private and voluntary);
■ Describe the reasons for the higher economic value in Scotland (per capita) than the other UK nations;
■ Disaggregate the indirect and induced economic impacts by type of service; and
■ Illustrate how the economic value of the adult social care sector (using the income approach) could vary as a result of changes to employee earnings.
You can download the Addendum here:
January 2019
The Children's Services Workforce 2017
This report looks in detail at the children's services workforce in Scotland. It supplements data already published in the Scottish Social Service Sector: Report on 2017 Workforce Data.