Description

This indicator measures the proportion of employees (aged 16 and above) who have a permanent contract.

Source

The data for this indicator are gathered through the Annual Population Survey (APS). APS is the largest annual household survey in Scotland and provides information about individuals' personal circumstances and their work. It is carried out by the Office for National Statistics.

Results from the Annual Population Survey are published on the Scottish Government website - within the ‘Scotland’s Labour Market: People, Places and Regions' publication.

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Labour-Market/Publications

Important note:  In August 2021, ONS Annual Population Survey (APS) responses for periods April 2019-March 2020 onwards have been weighted to new populations derived using growth rates from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Real Time Information (RTI) to allow for different trends during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This new weighting methodology gives improved estimates of both rates and levels following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The measurement is based on the proportion of employees aged 16 and over who have reported that their job is permanent.

The current confidence interval around the estimate from the APS is ±0.5 percentage points.

Definitions

Employees are those who have reported that they are in employment and are paid a wage by an employer for the work that they do.

To be classed as being in employment, a person must have done at least one hour of paid work in the week prior to their interview or have a job that they are temporarily away from (e.g. by being on holiday or off sick).

All disaggregations provided for this indicator are, like the headline estimate, for employees aged 16 and above with the exception of those who are EQIA disabled/not disabled for which the age range is 16-64.

Future Issues or Reviews

Estimates of the proportion of employees aged 16 and over who are in contractually secure work do not currently differentiate between the various types of agreed working arrangement. Zero-hours contracts, which are by definition insecure, are therefore included in overall number of employees deemed to be ‘contractually secure’

Future updates to this indicator are expected to exclude any employee who reports that their agreed working arrangement is a zero-hours contract, even if such a contract is considered to be permanent.

Important note:  In August 2021, ONS Annual Population Survey (APS) responses for periods April 2019-March 2020 onwards have been weighted to new populations derived using growth rates from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Real Time Information (RTI) to allow for different trends during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This new weighting methodology gives improved estimates of both rates and levels following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Criteria for Change

This evaluation is based on:

• any difference within +/- 0.6 percentage points of last year's figure suggests that the position is more likely to be maintaining than showing any change.
• An increase of 0.6 percentage points or more suggests the position is improving;
• whereas a decrease of 0.6 percentage points or more suggests the position is worsening.