You asked
I would like to find out the number of statisticians working for the ONS and the salary paid to them. Also, if the figures could be given by region that would be extremely helpful. For example there are 2 statisticians working in West Midlands on £50,000 but there are 5 in London on £70,000. This way I will be able to see if the salaries are the same depending on where you work in the UK or if you get regional allowances such as London weighting?
We said
Thank you for your request about the number of statisticians working for the ONS and the salary paid to them.
Defining a statistician
The Government Statistical Group (GSG) is the professional community for civil servants who are recognised members of the statistics profession. We are defining statisticians as members of the Government Statistical Group (GSG).
In order to gain membership to the GSG, candidates are tested on statistical competencies at interview, and in order to be eligible to apply to join the GSG, individuals should meet the following criteria;
- A numerate degree with at least 25% taught statistical content at a minimum 2:2 (e.g. geography, psychology)
OR
- Experience in a statistical role and assessed statistical knowledge equivalent to a foundation degree/HND (Level 5).
The GSG is a subset of the wider Government Statistical Service (GSS). The GSS is a larger community for all civil servants working in the collection, production and communication of official statistics. Alongside GSG statisticians at ONS, there are staff who are members of other analytical professions including the Government Economic Service (GES), Government Social Research (GSR) and Government Operational Research (GORS). In additional to these, there are staff who are members of the Government Statistical Service (GSS), who are not badged to any analytical profession, but carry out data analysis.
Statisticians in the Government Statistical Group
As at September 2019, there are 270 Government Statistical Group statisticians working at ONS, across 3 sites:
- Newport HQ – 199
- Titchfield – 56
- London – 15
Salary Information
For staff below the level of Senior Civil Servant, there are two different salary ranges in ONS – a 'London' one and a 'National' one. The 'National' group covers all staff outside London.
The salary paid to statisticians is dependent upon the grade they work at. The salary for each Civil Service grade group can be found below.
It should also be noted that in rare cases some staff's pay may be outside of these ranges, for example, due to negotiated pay.
Pay Grades for Staff Below Senior Civil Servant
| EO Specialist National | £22,645 - | £30,150 |
|---|---|---|
| EO Specialist London | £25,586 - | £33,150 |
| HEO Specialist National | £29,017 - | £36,150 |
| HEO Specialist London | £31,468 - | £39,150 |
| Fast Stream | £31,468 - | £39,150 |
| SEO Specialist National | £36,369 - | £44,150 |
| SEO Specialist London | £38,820 - | £47,411 |
| G7 National | £48,231 - | £62,300 |
| G7 London | £51,172 - | £65,431 |
| G6 National | £56,700 - | £71,535 |
| G6 London | £59,700 - | £75,607 |
Pay grades for Senior Civil Servants (SCS)
Pay grades for Senior Civil Servants (SCS) are centrally set. SCS Pay Ranges with effect from 1 April 2019 are:
| SCS Pay Band | Minimum (£) | Maximum (£) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | £70,000 | £117,800 |
| 1A | £70,000 | £128,900 |
| 2 | £92,000 | £162,500 |
| 3 | £115,000 | £208,100 |