This Background Quality Report provides information about the quality of the data used to produce the Equality Statistics for the Northern Ireland Civil Service 2025 and any statistics derived from these data.
Introduction
Context for the quality report.
This report provides an overview of the equality profile of the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) at 1 January 2025 and how it has changed over time. It includes an analysis of composition by sex, community background, age, disability status and ethnicity, and how that composition has changed over time.
The primary data source, with the exception of part of the NIPS (Northern Ireland Prison Service), is HRConnect, the Human Resource Service for the NICS. Data for NIPS staff not on HRConnect is obtained from NIPS’s own personnel data systems. Figures are based on actual staff in post at 1 January each year.
Relevance
The degree to which the statistical product meets user needs in both coverage and context.
This Report covers the composition of NICS staff at 1 January 2025 by sex, community background, age group, ethnicity and disability. Comparative information has been included from 2000 onwards.
Disability and ethnicity data are missing for 41.5% and 8.4% of staff respectively. Information on sexual orientation is missing for 62.1% of staff, while information on dependants is missing for 60.2% of staff. The low coverage for these two categories means that it would not be appropriate to present figures with the same level of detail as other categories due to uncertainty about the representativeness of the staff for whom information is available.
Accuracy and reliability
The proximity between an estimate and the unknown true value.
The Equality Report covers 100% of staff, but ethnicity and disability are affected by missing data.
Ethnicity
Ethnicity data are missing for 8.4% of staff. Of staff for whom ethnicity is available, 0.7% were from ethnic minorities. While the true percentage of minority ethnic staff could be as high as 9.0% (in the most extreme scenario where all the missing data related to minority ethnic staff), there is no evidence that the ethnicity of staff whose information is missing differ from those recorded, and so the actual percentage of staff from a minority ethnic background is unlikely to differ substantially from the reported figure of 0.7%.
Disability
Disability data are missing for 41.5% of staff. Some 6.4% of all staff were recorded as disabled. Potentially, therefore, the true percentage of disabled staff could be as high as 48.0% (in the most extreme scenario where all missing data related to disabled staff). The reported percentage of 6.4% should therefore be considered as a minimum. Some staff whose disability information is missing may have a disability, and some others who are recorded as not having a disability may have developed a disability since the information was provided. Both of these scenarios would mean a larger percentage of all staff having a disability.
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation data are missing for 62.1% of NICS staff. Of those staff for whom data are available 3.8% described their orientation as towards someone of the same sex, 3.0% towards both sexes and 93.1% towards someone of different sex.
However, since coverage is limited to a relatively small percentage of staff, staff with a recorded orientation may not be representative of the whole NICS and so it would not be appropriate to use these figures as an estimate of the NICS profile.
Dependants
Data on dependants are missing for 60.2% of NICS staff. For those staff with data on dependants, 63.2% identify as having no dependants, with 36.8% stating they have dependants. However, since coverage is limited to a relatively small percentage of staff, staff with recorded information on dependants may not be representative of the whole NICS and so it would not be appropriate to use these figures as an estimate of the NICS profile.
Marital status
Data on marital status are missing or unknown for 7.2% of NICS staff. For those staff for whom data are available, 37.4% are recorded as single and 55.3% as married.
Political opinion
The NICS does not collect data on the political opinion of staff.
Aggregation
Aggregation can conceal inequalities. Imagine, for example, an organisation with 500 staff, 100 of whom are science and technology professionals, and 400 of whom are teaching and research professionals. Suppose 10 of the science professionals were female and 240 of the teaching professionals were female. Whilst the overall sex composition is 50% female, women are under-represented among science and technology professionals where they constitute 10% and staff (compared with the Census figure of 18%) and are also under-represented among teaching and research professionals where they constitute 60% of staff (compared with the Census figure of 65%).
Timeliness and punctuality
Timeliness refers to the time gap between publication and the reference period. Punctuality refers to the gap between planned and actual publication dates.
The report relates to 1 January 2025, with data available around mid-February and published on 30 May 2025. The gap includes the time it takes to resolve various data quality issues. In 2025 there was a delay in publication (from March) to ensure the most approporate Census 2021 proxy for Community Background i.e. “Religion or Religion Brought Up In” was reported for Northern Ireland comparisons.
Accessibility and clarity
Accessibility is the ease with which users are able to access the data, also reflecting the format in which the data are available and the availability of supporting information. Clarity refers to the quality and sufficiency of the metadata, illustrations and accompanying advice.
The report is available on the NISRA website and contains contact details for further information.
Explanatory information including sources, discontinuities and missing data have been included.
Data tables to accompany the charts in the report are available on the website in a non-proprietary open format.
Coherence and comparability
Coherence is the degree to which data that are derived from different sources or methods but refer to the same topic are similar. Comparability is the degree to which data can be compared over time and domain.
The overall contextual figures given in the report relate to the economically active population, and do not take account of the occupational profile of the Northern Ireland Civil Service. They therefore give only a broad general comparison and cannot be used to conclude that there is under or over representation of any equality group.
Fair Employment Legislation refers to “fair participation” in employment between Protestant and Roman Catholic. No specific test for assessing fair participation is set out in the legislation. The Fair Employment Code of Practice issued by the Equality Commission Northern Ireland advises that employers should consider if the composition of their workplace “is broadly in line with what might reasonably be expected”. In other words, fair participation is assessed, not by reference to a fixed ratio, whether 50:50 or otherwise, but by comparison with the relevant part of the Northern Ireland economically active population. Accordingly, more detailed analysis is required in order to make such an assessment. For example, Census data from 2021 on people in employment show that women constituted 14% of engineering occupations, but 73% of teaching and research professionals. Comparisons need to be at the level of specific occupations. For community background, such analysis is undertaken for “Article 55” reviews. Similar analysis is conducted for sex in the triennial “Gender” reviews. In both sets of analysis, staff in post within 5 percentage points of the Northern Ireland economically active population is considered fair participation.
Counts of staff depend on the reference date, whether staff are permanent or casual, whether those on a career break are included, and whether secondees are included.
There are two alternative sources of information on the equality composition of the NICS:
- The Quarterly Employment Survey Supplement (sex) and
- The annual Monitoring Report published by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (community background).
The Quarterly Employment Survey differs from this report in that it relates to data captured at a different point in time. The annual Monitoring Report differs from our report in that it includes additional employee groupings.
There have been various changes in the scope of the NICS over the past decade as a result of the transfer of functions (and the associated staff) to new bodies outside the NICS, or from outside bodies to the NICS.
Previous editions of this report have compared the NICS position with the current year’s position in GB. GB information relating to 2025 was not available at the time of initial publication (May 2025).
Trade-offs between output quality components
Trade-offs are the extent to which different aspects of quality are balanced against each other.
Coverage of staff is 100% although as previously highlighted, information for the disability and ethnicity variables is not complete. The main computer system from which the data are extracted is also used to pay staff, and therefore data are of a high quality standard.
Assessment of user needs and perceptions
The processes for finding out about users and uses, and their views on statistical products.
When this publication was first being developed, we conducted a consultation with key stakeholders: NICS Corporate HR, the Equality Commission, Civil Service Commissioners, Departments, the trade union NIPSA, and the Statistics Advisory Committee. The consultation letter offered a meeting, and several of the bodies consulted took up this offer. Responses to the illustrative draft in the consultation were very favourable. Specific suggestions were taken on board where feasible.
As part of the wider effort to operate within these financial constraints, the NISRA Workforce Statistics and Analysis team in People and Organisational Development, reviewed the content and format of a number of publications in 2023 including the annual Equality Statistics for the NICS. Following a user consultation and in the face of constrained resources, it was decided to scale back the content of the written report to focus on composition (staff in post) only until further notice.
The report currently contains contact details in case users wish to provide feedback, comments or queries on the publication.
A new HTML format was introduced in 2025. User feedback will be collected on the new HTML format following publication.
Performance, cost and repondent burden
The effectiveness, efficiency and economy of the statistical output.
The annual operational cost (staff time) of producing the report is approximately £8,000.
There is no respondent burden, since the data are held on an administrative system.
Confidentiality, transparency and security.
The procedures and policy used to ensure sound confidentiality, security and transparent practices.
Suppression would be applied where the number of cases in a cell containing personal information is disclosive. This is described in table footnotes. If appropriate, cells are merged.
Data are held on a network that is only accessible to the few statisticians who need access.
Issued by:
Workforce Statistics and Analysis Branch
People and Organisational Development
2-4 Bruce Street
Belfast
Antrim
BT2 7JD
Contact: Martin Madine
Telephone: 028 9038 8440