About 1,461,000 employees work in the public administration sector, which is defined according to the Standard Industrial Classification as covering general public service activities. There has been a downward trend over the last two decades, and employment levels are expected to decline slightly from current levels.

Political changes will affect both future employment and skill requirements in the sector. The introduction of the national e-government strategy will influence the every-day work and the skills needed.

Public administration accounts for a higher than average proportion  of total employment in Scotland, Wales and Northern England. It is below average in the South East, East and West Midlands. Devolution in Wales and Scotland and the implementation of the National Assembly in Wales and the Scottish Parliament have led to a high proportion of employment in this sector.

There is a range of jobs covering around 600 occupations, with a mix of professional, managerial, front-line staff and specialists. With a share of just below 30%, administrative, clerical and secretarial occupations are the largest group.

Within the next few years, replacement demands will be substantial in this sector. It is expected that over 600,000 members of the current workforce will need to be replaced by 2012. Over the next decade a total requirement of over 100,000 workers is expected for corporate managers, protective service occupations, and administrative occupations.

Employment is divided fairly equally between men and women. The proportion of employees from ethnic minorities is representative of the whole workforce. The proportion of Asian and Black employees in this sector is as high as in the whole economy, with 3% Asian and 2% Black employees. However, differences in distribution of responsibilities prevail.

People with disabilities (4%) are underrepresented in the sector compared with those people with disabilities who are in employment (8.6%).

Both the qualification level and the proportion of employees taking part in job related training is higher than in the overall workforce. Various training programmes for graduates are available.