Civilian personnel biannual diversity dashboard report 1 April 2021 (2023)

Main Points and Trends

Female representation rate at 1 April 2021, 44.1 %, this is a rise of 2.4 percentage points compared with 1 April 2017.

Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) representation rate at 1 April 2021, 6.3 %, this is a rise of 1.8 percentage points compared with 1 April 2017.

Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual (LGB) representation rate at 1 April 2021, 3.0 %, this is a rise of 1.0 percentage points compared with 1 April 2017.

Disability representation rate at 1 April 2021, 11.9 %, this is a fall of 0.2 percentage points compared with 1 April 2019.

From April 2011 to October 2018 the declaration rate for disability was not sufficiently populated for the representation rate to be reported on.

Part-time personnel representation rate at 1 April 2021, 10.9 %, comparable with 1 April 2017.

Religion & Faith representation rate at 1 April 2021, the proportion of MOD Main civilian personnel who self-declared as Christian was 59.1 %. This is a fall of 9.3 percentage points compared with 1 April 2017.

The proportion who self-declared as Non-Christian was 5.8 %, a rise of 0.6 percentage points compared with 1 April 2017. The proportion who self-declared as Secular was 35.1 %, a rise of 8.7 percentage points

Average Age at 1 April 2021, 47.7 years, this is a reduction of 0.3 years compared with 1 April 2017.

Summary Within the reported age bands distribution there was a higher proportion of female, BAME, LGB, Non-Christian, Secular and Non-Disabled personnel for age bands 16 to 29 up to 40 to 49 years of age with this trend reversing for age bands 50 years and over. Results are indicative and not confirmed by statistical testing.
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Figure 1 – Age Distribution of Civilian Personnel at 1 April 2021

Introduction

This bulletin examines data relating to MOD Diversity statistics. It is produced as part of the transparency and accountability of the Ministry of Defence to Parliament and the Public.

The Information in this Bulletin has a wide range of users including the media, politicians, academic researchers and the general public who use the information to:

•understand the size and distribution of core MOD organisations by individual diversity categories

•assist in understanding the effect of changes in Defence policy, for instance changes to diversity analysis within recruiting

In the report we will analyse the current diversity range within core MOD.

Core MOD – Entities within the MOD Departmental Boundary based on civilians with active personnel records on the Human Resources Management System (HRMS) within a MOD Main TLB.

This data excludes personnel in organisations with delegated personnel functions, UK Hydrographic, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Defence Nuclear Organisation (including Submarine Delivery Agency), Defence Electronic Components Agency and Defence and Equipment Trading Entity.

Definitions

Gender Representation

Table 2 – Female Representation of MOD Main Civilian Personnel, as at 1 April 2017 to 1 April 2021

Age Band Charts : Charts by age band for each diversity category have been compiled on the basis of within band analysis. For instance, the female group at each age band is split by all civilian MOD female staff and multiplied by 100 to get the percentage of the distribution. This means that the female proportions split by age will add up to 100%.

Age Group Distribution

Within the reported age band distribution there was a higher proportion of female personnel for age groups 16 to 29 up to 40 to 49 years of age compared to the equivalent male population, with this trend reversing for age groups 50 years and over. This indicates that overall female personnel are likely to be younger than their male counterparts.

Figure 2a – Female Representation of MOD Main Civilian Personnel Within Age Bands, as at 1 April 2021

Grade Band Charts : Charts by grade band for each diversity category have been compiled on the basis of across group analysis. For instance, the female group at each grade is split by all MOD female staff, and the result multiplied by 100 to get the percentage of the distribution. This means that female and male proportions split by grade will add to 100%.

Grade Band Distribution

For grade bands SCS to D the proportion of female personnel at each grade band has increased, with the largest increase in SCS at 7.9 percentage points, with the band E population reducing slightly and the Industrial proportion remaining comparable.

Figure 2b – Female Representation of MOD Main Civilian Personnel by Grade, as at 1 April 2021

Industrial Personnel: Civilian personnel employed primarily in a trade, craft or other manual labour occupation. This covers a wide range of work such as industrial technicians, air freight handlers, storekeepers, vergers and drivers.

Ethnicity Representation

Table 3 – BAME Representation of MOD Main Civilian Personnel, as at 1 April 2017 to 1 April 2021

Age Group Distribution

Within the reported age band distribution there was a higher proportion of BAME personnel and personnel with no ethnic origin declaration for age bands 16 to 29 up to 40 to 49 years of age compared to the equivalent white population, with this trend reversing for age bands 50 years and over.

Figure 3a – BAME and White Personnel Distribution Within Age Bands, as at 1 April 2021

Grade Band Distribution

As at April 2021, the distribution of BAME and White personnel across grade was broadly similar for all Non-industrial grades, with a higher proportion of BAME personnel at Band B. The proportion of White personnel who were Industrial was 9.5% compared with 4.5% for BAME personnel.

Figure 3b – BAME and White Personnel Distributions by Grade, as at 1 April 2021

Sexual Orientation Representation

Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual (LGB): The term referring to those who self-identify their sexual orientation as being other than Heterosexual, including, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and other orientations. Transgender people may or may not identify as one of these orientations.

Table 4 – LGB Representation of MOD Main Civilian Personnel, as at 1 April 2017 to 1 April 2021

Age Group Distribution

Within the reported age band distribution there was a higher proportion of LGB personnel and personnel with no sexual orientation declaration for age bands 16 to 29 up to 30 to 39 years of age compared to the equivalent heterosexual population, with this trend reversing for age bands 40 to 49 years and over.

Figure 4a – Comparison of LGB and Heterosexual Personnel Distributions Within Age Bands, as at 1 April 2021

Grade Band Distribution

As at 1 April 2021, the distribution of LGB and Heterosexual personnel across grade was broadly similar for all Non-industrial and Industrial grades.

Figure 4b – Comparison of LGB and Heterosexual Personnel Distributions by Grade, as at 1 April 2021

Religion and Belief Representation

Age Group Distribution

Within the reported age band distribution there was a higher proportion of Non-Christian personnel, secular personnel and personnel with no religion or faith declaration for age bands 16 to 29 up to 40 to 49 years of age compared to the equivalent Christian population, with this trend reversing for age bands 50 years and over.

Figure 5a – Comparison of Religion / Belief Group Distributions Within Age Bands, as at 1 April 2021

Grade Band Distribution

As at April 2021, the distribution of Religion / Belief group distributions across grade was broadly similar for all Non-industrial and Industrial grades.

Figure 5b – Comparison of Religion / Belief Group Distributions by Grade, as at 1 April 2021

Disability Representation

Table 6 – Disability Representation of MOD Main Civilian Personnel, as at 1 April 2017 to April 2021

Age Group Distribution

Within the reported age band distribution there was a higher proportion of Non-Disabled personnel and personnel with no active disability declaration for age bands 16 to 29 up to 40 to 49 years of age compared to the equivalent population declared as disabled, with this trend reversing for age bands 50 years and over.

Figure 6a – Comparison of Disabled and Non-disabled Personnel Distributions Within Age Bands, as at 1 April 2021

Grade Band Distribution

As at April 2021, the distribution of Disabled and Non-disabled personnel across grade was broadly similar for all Non-industrial and Industrial grades.

Figure 6b – Comparison of Disabled and Non-disabled Personnel Distributions by Grade, as at 1 April 2021

Full Time and Part Time Representation

Table 7 – Part-Time Representation of MOD Main Civilian Personnel, as at 1 April 2017 to 1 April 2021

Age Group Distribution

Within the reported age band distribution there was a higher proportion of Full Time personnel for age bands 30 to 39, 40 to 49 and 60 and over years of age, with the largest comparable part time populations aged 16 to 29 or 50 to 59 years of age.

Figure 7a – Comparison of Part-Time and Full-time Personnel Distributions Within Age Bands, as at 1 April 2021

Grade Band Distribution

As at 1 April 2021, the distribution of Part-time and Full-time personnel across grade was broadly similar for Non-Industrial grades. The proportion of Full-time personnel who were Industrial is 10.0% compared with 5.0% for Part-time personnel.

Figure 7b – Comparison of Part-Time and Full-time Personnel Distributions by Grade, as at 1 April 2021

Age Distribution

Table 8 – Average Age of MOD Main Civilian Personnel, as at 1 April 2017 to 1 April 2021

Age Group Distribution

Almost two fifths (37.2%) of MOD Main personnel were aged 50 – 59 years of age as at 1 April 2021, with more than half (52.6%) aged 50 years or over. This is comparable to 1 April 2017 with 52.0% aged 50 years or over.

Declaration Rates

‘Ethnicity’, ‘Sexual Orientation’, ‘Religion & Faith’, and ‘Disability’ are based on self-declaration. Each member of personnel can choose from the following options:

One of the available diversity data fields (an active declaration)

Choose not to declare (no declaration)

No response (no declaration)

Declaration Rate is the number of personnel who make an ‘active declaration’ as a proportion of the total personnel. To ensure meaningful representation rates for a diversity field, a minimum 60 % declaration level is required.

Table 9 - Declaration Rates by Percentage, as at 1 April 2017 to 1 April 2021

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The low declaration rate for disability is mainly down to the department’s Human Resource Management System (HRMS) resetting in April 2011 to accommodate the new disability reporting requirements resulting from the 2011 census exercise. Consequently all disability records were reset and personnel were requested to re-declare their disability status.

Improvements in the declaration rates for all four diversity measures from April 2018 to April 2021 are largely as a result of a policy strategy designed to encourage people to complete their diversity records. People still had the option to positively opt-out of providing details by selecting ‘Choose not to declare’.

Grade Structures

Since 1 April 1996 all departments and agencies have had delegated responsibility for the pay and grading of their employees, except for those in the Senior Civil Service (SCS). The MOD grades are shown here against levels broadly equivalent (in terms of pay and job weight) to the former service-wide grades.

Rounding

Tables and Charts Within this Document

Where rounding has been used, totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not equal the sums of their rounded parts. This also applies to Civilian personnel data expressed in terms of Full-Time Equivalents (FTE).

When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

All percentages are calculated from headcount totals (part time equivalent to one person), from unrounded figures and are shown to 1 decimal place.

Excel Tables Accompanying this Publication

An updated MOD Disclosure Control and Rounding policy has been published on GOV.UK and we have applied this policy to the statistics on Civilian personnel in the accompanying Excel tables. The policy is available

here.

Disclosure control will still be applied to statistical or numeric information to safeguard the confidentiality of individuals. ‘Disclosure control’ refers to the efforts made to reduce the risk of disclosure, such as applying statistical methods to protect ‘personally identifiable information’ (PII) in aggregate data tables. These safeguards can take many forms (e.g. data suppression, rounding, recoding etc.).

Revisions

Occasionally errors can occur in statistical processes; procedures are constantly reviewed to minimise this risk. Should a significant error be found the publication on the website will be updated and an errata slip published documenting the revision.