Report Summary
As a public body, SPA has a specific duty to publish relevant information to demonstrate our compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), part of the Equality Act 2010. We publish information relating to our recruitment practices and information about employees who share protected characteristics from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023.
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Age
Scotland’s population is ageing compared with previous decades. There are more people in the older age groups than ever recorded in Scotland’s 2022 Census with now over one million people aged 65 and over. This is over a quarter of a million higher than the number of people under 15. The employment rate has decreased between 2019 and 2021 for all age groups, except for those aged 25 to 34 years. In relation to 16–24-year-olds in Scotland, Labour Market Statistics show a continuing decline in estimated employment rates from 59.3 percent in 2019 to 52.3 percent in 2023.
Across the Scottish Police Authority -
Those aged 16-24 have lower success rates compared to application rates, whereas those aged 34-54 have the opposite experience. Trends will continue to be monitored regarding this.
As highlighted previously, a large percentage of the roles within the Authority, specifically Forensics Services, require a professional qualification and equivalent experience, therefore an under representation of young people in these roles can be expected.
The age data continues to demonstrate the continuation of an ageing workforce with the increasing representation of those aged 55-64.
Next steps will be considering the extent to which more can be done in the attraction, recruitment and retention of young people aged 16-24.
