Going public

Published on Sunday 5 July 2009 22:12

SALARIES in the public sector vary widely.

On average, public servants are paid less than their private-sector counterparts, but generous pension settlements and stronger job security offset some of that discrepancy.

In Scotland, teachers can expect to start on at least 20,937 this year but their earnings can rocket to 78,6412 if they become head teachers.

&#149 Nurses' starting salaries in Scotland are 13,233 while matrons and nurse consultants can top around 65,000.

&#149 Nearly half of the civil service, or approximately 250,000 people, earn less than 20,000 a year.

&#149 18,000 jobs have already been cut with a total of 25,000 planned by 2011 in addition to more than 200 offices axed.

&#149 BBC director-general Mark Thompson earns 647,000 a year as a basic salary plus bonuses.

&#149 In Scotland, about 623,300 people work in the public sector, compared with 6.5 million for the whole UK.

&#149 The Scottish Government employed 4,847 people in 2008.

&#149 Fewer than 31,000 people work in the private sector in Edinburgh.

&#149 There were 1,883,700 people employed in the private sector across Scotland in the first three months of this year.

&#149 Public-sector employment in Scotland has increased by 3,400 (0.6 per cent) over the year.