Official Statistics

MOD civilian personnel sickness absence report: 1 April 2022

Published 19 January 2023

This report presents figures on Sickness Absence for civilian personnel employed by the Ministry of Defence, excluding Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel and Locally engaged civilians. Using data from the Ministry of Defence’s MyHR database - formerly Human Resource and Management System (HRMS), the tables present information about changes in the Average Number of Working Days Lost (AWDL), actual number of days lost, the number of instances of Sickness Absence and the distribution by ICD code.

The United Kingdom Statistics Authority has designated these statistics as Official Statistics, in accordance with the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 and signifying compliance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

Once statistics have been designated as Official Statistics it is a statutory requirement that the Code of Practice shall continue to be observed.

Definitions of terms used in this publication are present throughout the publication.

Main Points

MOD average working days absent per civilian personnel

In the 12 months to 31 March 2022 the number of average working days lost was 5.58. This is a decrease of 0.36 days compared with the previous 12 month period.

MOD civilian number of incidents of sickness absence

In the 12 months to 31 March 2022, the number of incidents of sickness absence was 52,810. This is an increase of 20,273 (62.3%) compared with the previous 12 month period.

MOD civilian personnel working days lost due to sickness

In the 12 months to 31 March 2022, the number of days lost to sickness absence 302,900. This is a decrease of 13,145 (4.2%) compared with the previous 12 month period.

MOD civilian personnel main causes of sickness absence

In the 12 months to 31 March 2022, the main causes of sickness absence have been:

Non-Industrial personnel

  • Mental and behavioural disorders (25%)
  • COVID-19 (16%)
  • Diseases of the musculoskeletal system (14%)

Industrial personnel

  • Diseases of the musculoskeletal system (24%)
  • Mental and behavioural disorders (14%)
  • COVID-19 (13%)

All tables and charts below are for 12 months ending at the reference point.

Absence days are Full Time Equivalent (FTE) working days lost. e.g. a part time employee (working 50% of full time hours) is sick for 7 calendar days, consequently this is 5 working days and then 2.5 FTE working days.

Figures exclude personnel classed as being on zero pay for any reason.

No sickness absence information is available for Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) or Locally Employed Civilians (LEC) so they are excluded.

Trading Fund personnel cannot be broken down by Industrial status.

The table below shows the average working days absent per person by TLB for MOD civilian personnel and the value of lost productivity for the MOD.

Summary Table: Average working days absent per person by TLB for MOD civilian personnel

Organisational Structure 12 Months Ending 31-Mar-21 12 Months Ending 30-Jun-21 12 Months Ending 30-Sep-21 12 Months Ending 31-Dec-21 12 Months Ending 31-Mar-22 Value of lost productivity of absence from 1st April 2021 to 31st March 2022
UK Strategic Command 5.39 5.25 5.07 5.48 5.25 £ 7,634,756
Defence Infrastructure Organisation 8.35 7.60 7.02 7.23 6.99 £ 5,803,010
Head Office & Corporate Services 7.36 6.93 6.74 7.05 6.62 £ 9,306,957
HQ Air Command 6.07 6.06 5.84 6.37 5.71 £ 3,816,030
Army TLB 6.02 5.84 5.79 6.43 6.02 £ 7,661,632
Navy Command 5.83 5.34 4.89 5.16 5.23 £ 2,282,566
Unallocated 0.48 0.41 2.02 2.64 3.43 £ 0
Level 1 Total 6.52 6.21 5.98 6.40 6.05 £36,504,951
DE&S Trading Entity 4.81 4.70 4.44 4.76 4.42 [z]
Trading Fund & Executive Agency 4.63 4.39 4.08 4.67 4.87 [z]
Defence Science and Technology Laboratory 5.11 4.76 4.44 4.89 5.58 [z]
UK Hydrographic Office 4.88 4.66 3.32 5.13 3.77 [z]
Defence Nuclear Organisation 3.44 3.51 3.63 4.07 3.91 [z]
Level 0 Total 5.94 5.68 5.43 5.85 5.58 [z]

Chart A: Average working days absent per person MOD civilian personnel

Chart B: Value of lost productivity in £M of TLB’s civilian personnel sickness absence.

Table 1: Average working days absent per person by TLB split by Non Industrial and Industrial for MOD civilian personnel

Organisational Structure 12 Months Ending 31-Mar-21 12 Months Ending 30-Jun-21 12 Months Ending 30-Sep-21 12 Months Ending 31-Dec-21 12 Months Ending 31-Mar-22 Value of lost productivity of absence from 1st April 2021 to 31st March 2022 [Note 5]
Non Industrial Total 6.45 6.11 5.84 6.25 5.99 £33,594,588
UK Strategic Command 5.32 5.19 5.04 5.46 5.28 £ 7,525,917
Defence Infrastructure Organisation 8.37 7.63 7.07 7.27 7.03 £ 5,705,915
Head Office & Corporate Services 7.37 6.93 6.72 7.02 6.63 £ 9,136,335
HQ Air Command 5.88 5.66 5.19 5.62 5.11 £ 2,852,255
Army TLB 5.69 5.54 5.48 6.11 5.94 £ 6,367,206
Navy Command 5.62 5.09 4.56 4.96 5.10 £ 2,006,960
Unallocated 0.48 0.46 2.16 3.15 3.24 £ 0
Industrial Total 7.16 7.14 7.25 7.80 6.60 £ 2,910,363
UK Strategic Command 7.64 7.36 6.15 6.04 4.38 £ 108,839
Defence Infrastructure Organisation 7.43 6.49 5.07 5.48 5.31 £ 97,095
Head Office & Corporate Services 7.10 7.05 7.62 8.18 6.49 £ 170,622
HQ Air Command 6.75 7.57 8.32 9.17 7.99 £ 963,775
Army TLB 7.33 7.02 7.03 7.73 6.35 £ 1,294,426
Navy Command 7.08 6.83 6.85 6.35 6.04 £ 275,606
Unallocated [z] [z] 1.71 1.67 3.79 £ 0
Level 1 Total 6.52 6.21 5.98 6.40 6.05 £36,504,951
DE&S Trading Entity Industrial and Non Industrial Total 4.81 4.70 4.44 4.76 4.42 [z]
Trading Fund & Executive Agency Industrial and Non Industrial Total 4.63 4.39 4.08 4.67 4.87 [z]
Defence Science and Technology Laboratory 5.11 4.76 4.44 4.89 5.58 [z]
UK Hydrographic Office 4.88 4.66 3.32 5.13 3.77 [z]
Defence Nuclear Organisation 3.44 3.51 3.63 4.07 3.91 [z]
Level 0 Total 5.94 5.68 5.43 5.85 5.58 [z]

Table 2: Number of incidents of sickness absence by TLB for MoD civilian personnel

Organisational Structure 12 Months Ending 31-Mar-21 12 Months Ending 30-Jun-21 12 Months Ending 30-Sep-21 12 Months Ending 31-Dec-21 12 Months Ending 31-Mar-22
Non Industrial Total 19,250 22,173 25,181 29,589 31,545
UK Strategic Command 4,263 4,935 5,700 6,832 7,285
Defence Infrastructure Organisation 4,029 4,528 4,939 5,704 6,143
Head Office & Corporate Services 5,087 5,765 6,615 7,834 8,176
HQ Air Command 1,484 1,751 1,966 2,362 2,549
Army TLB 3,339 3,984 4,557 5,238 5,655
Navy Command 1,046 1,208 1,399 1,614 1,732
Unallocated 2 2 5 5 5
Industrial Total 1,641 1,943 2,283 2,632 2,702
UK Strategic Command 73 81 98 114 122
Defence Infrastructure Organisation 94 107 118 133 142
Head Office & Corporate Services 176 186 196 224 184
HQ Air Command 448 570 681 841 912
Army TLB 687 796 946 1,030 1,037
Navy Command 163 203 243 289 303
Unallocated [z] [z] [z] [z] [z]
Level 1 Total 20,891 24,116 27,464 32,221 34,247
DE&S Trading Entity Industrial and Non Industrial Total 5,995 6,534 7,388 8,562 9,030
Trading Funds & Executive Agency Industrial and Non Industrial Total [Note 8] 5,651 6,268 6,795 8,281 9,533
Defence Science and Technology Laboratory 3,948 4,278 4,767 5,539 6,765
UK Hydrographic Office 854 1,022 843 1,231 1,097
Defence Nuclear Organisation 849 968 1,185 1,511 1,671
Level 0 Total 32,537 36,918 41,647 49,064 52,810

Table 3: Number of working days lost due to sickness absence by TLB for MOD civilian personnel

Organisational Structure 12 Months Ending 31-Mar-21 12 Months Ending 30-Jun-21 12 Months Ending 30-Sep-21 12 Months Ending 31-Dec-21 12 Months Ending 31-Mar-22
Non Industrial Total 208,072 199,211 192,252 206,598 198,246
UK Strategic Command 36,498 36,260 35,773 39,143 37,960
Defence Infrastructure Organisation 41,280 38,064 35,647 37,005 36,021
Head Office & Corporate Services 58,517 55,881 54,997 58,068 54,996
HQ Air Command 19,700 19,088 17,671 19,231 17,519
Army TLB 39,279 38,370 37,880 42,077 40,508
Navy Command 12,796 11,546 10,267 11,052 11,219
Unallocated - - 17 22 22
Industrial Total 25,777 25,519 25,879 27,555 22,922
UK Strategic Command 1,600 1,488 1,250 1,227 895
Defence Infrastructure Organisation 901 780 606 653 632
Head Office & Corporate Services 1,670 1,593 1,692 1,800 1,416
HQ Air Command 6,121 6,770 7,466 8,396 7,312
Army TLB 12,779 12,273 12,230 13,059 10,392
Navy Command 2,706 2,616 2,629 2,415 2,261
Unallocated [z] [z] 6 6 13
Level 1 Total 233,849 224,730 218,132 234,152 221,168
DE&S Trading Entity Industrial and Non Industrial Total 49,852 48,635 46,006 49,305 45,626
Trading Funds & Executive Agency Industrial and Non Industrial Total [Note 8] 32,345 31,015 29,183 34,098 36,106
Defence Science and Technology Laboratory 21,873 20,278 18,906 21,011 24,195
UK Hydrographic Office 3,868 3,726 2,677 4,200 3,133
Defence Nuclear Organisation 6,604 7,011 7,600 8,888 8,778
Level 0 Total 316,045 304,381 293,320 317,555 302,900

Table 4: Number of working days lost due to sickness absence by ICD code for Non-Industrial civilian personnel excluding Trading Funds and Executive Agencies.

ICD 10 Organisational Structure 12 Months Ending 31-Mar-21 12 Months Ending 30-Jun-21 12 Months Ending 30-Sep-21 12 Months Ending 31-Dec-21 12 Months Ending 31-Mar-22
Non Industrial Total (All ICD 10 Codes) 208,072 199,211 192,252 206,598 198,246
(ACI) Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes 14,491 13,902 12,144 11,854 12,019
(BFO) Diseases of the blood forming organs and certain disorders 2,122 1,805 1,654 1,731 1,369
(CIR) Diseases of the circulatory system 9,935 9,229 8,257 9,045 9,208
(COV) COVID-19 27,530 20,270 22,215 25,643 30,745
(DDS) Diseases of the digestive system 7,178 8,084 8,413 8,564 7,949
(DEM) Diseases of the ear and mastoid process 1,429 1,510 1,203 1,365 1,123
(DEY) Diseases of the eye and adnexa 2,367 2,465 2,387 2,758 2,618
(DGY) Diseases of the genito-urinary system 6,349 6,943 6,239 6,125 6,599
(DRS) Diseases of the respiratory system 6,694 7,668 8,544 13,464 13,994
(EMN) Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases 1,290 1,694 1,623 1,557 1,173
(IPO) Certain infectious and parasitic diseases 8,884 9,522 9,647 12,122 12,425
(MSD) Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue 30,892 30,485 30,099 29,924 27,599
(NGB) Neoplasms 9,827 9,104 8,081 8,157 8,399
(NSS) Diseases of the nervous system 6,485 6,794 6,924 7,410 6,121
(OPP) Factors influencing health status and contact with health service [Note 9] [z] [z] [z] [z] [z]
(PCP) Pregnancy, childbirth and the peurperium 2,195 2,164 1,982 2,220 1,545
(PSD) Mental and behavioural disorders 62,060 59,824 55,134 56,068 48,591
(SCO) Diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue 1,038 1,018 955 944 808
(SID) Cause of Absence Not Yet Known 7,304 6,732 6,751 7,646 5,960

Chart 4: Number of working days lost due to sickness absence by ICD code for Non-Industrial civilian personnel, 12 months ending 31 March 2022

Table 5: Number of working days lost due to sickness absence by ICD code for Industrial civilian personnel excluding Trading Funds and Executive Agencies.

ICD 10 Organisational Structure 12 Months Ending 31-Mar-21 12 Months Ending 30-Jun-21 12 Months Ending 30-Sep-21 12 Months Ending 31-Dec-21 12 Months Ending 31-Mar-22
Industrial Total (All ICD 10 Codes) 25,777 25,519 25,879 27,555 22,922
(ACI) Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes 2,915 2,911 2,587 2,272 1,878
(BFO) Diseases of the blood forming organs and certain disorders 242 307 409 350 344
(CIR) Diseases of the circulatory system 1,764 1,738 1,679 1,888 1,681
(COV) COVID-19 2,815 2,193 2,348 2,575 2,931
(DDS) Diseases of the digestive system 888 1,072 1,303 1,294 1,006
(DEM) Diseases of the ear and mastoid process 219 149 146 139 52
(DEY) Diseases of the eye and adnexa 565 561 557 601 383
(DGY) Diseases of the genito-urinary system 1,061 978 1,010 714 505
(DRS) Diseases of the respiratory system 865 782 862 1,506 1,452
(EMN) Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases 102 213 185 138 95
(IPO) Certain infectious and parasitic diseases 1,301 1,327 1,286 1,462 1,036
(MSD) Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue 4,916 5,318 6,244 7,237 5,607
(NGB) Neoplasms 2,188 1,866 1,871 1,966 1,530
(NSS) Diseases of the nervous system 426 549 359 259 175
(OPP) Factors influencing health status and contact with health service [Note 9] [z] [z] [z] [z] [z]
(PCP) Pregnancy, childbirth and the peurperium 176 58 16 16 [z]
(PSD) Mental and behavioural disorders 4,185 4,182 3,756 3,791 3,239
(SCO) Diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue 153 294 426 521 290
(SID) Cause of Absence Not Yet Known 996 1,024 834 827 717

Chart 5: Number of working days lost due to sickness absence by ICD code for Industrial civilian personnel, 12 months ending 31 March 2022

Table 6: Number of working days lost due to sickness absence by ICD code for Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) civilian personnel.

ICD 10 Organisational Structure 12 Months Ending 31-Mar-21 12 Months Ending 30-Jun-21 12 Months Ending 30-Sep-21 12 Months Ending 31-Dec-21 12 Months Ending 31-Mar-22
DE&S Trading Fund Total (All ICD 10 Codes) 49,852 48,635 46,006 49,305 45,626
(ACI) Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes 2,017 1,975 1,767 2,023 1,977
(BFO) Diseases of the blood forming organs and certain disorders 380 512 546 562 437
(CIR) Diseases of the circulatory system 2,085 1,924 2,059 1,928 1,462
(COV) COVID-19 6,634 4,846 5,514 6,653 7,310
(DDS) Diseases of the digestive system 1,902 1,909 1,959 2,250 2,017
(DEM) Diseases of the ear and mastoid process 394 305 330 406 336
(DEY) Diseases of the eye and adnexa 487 456 377 490 501
(DGY) Diseases of the genito-urinary system 1,579 1,614 1,271 1,241 1,236
(DRS) Diseases of the respiratory system 2,219 2,579 2,750 4,341 4,882
(EMN) Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases 441 316 174 143 168
(IPO) Certain infectious and parasitic diseases 3,053 3,099 3,126 3,452 3,326
(MSD) Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue 4,565 5,185 5,052 4,946 4,262
(NGB) Neoplasms 2,826 2,618 2,291 2,424 1,976
(NSS) Diseases of the nervous system 2,851 2,661 2,362 2,185 1,514
(OPP) Factors influencing health status and contact with health service [Note 9] [z] [z] [z] [z] [z]
(PCP) Pregnancy, childbirth and the peurperium 1,166 1,093 918 875 794
(PSD) Mental and behavioural disorders 15,246 15,286 13,570 13,539 12,088
(SCO) Diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue 183 197 172 175 147
(SID) Cause of Absence Not Yet Known 1,825 2,061 1,768 1,672 1,193

Chart 6: Number of working days lost due to sickness absence by ICD code for DE&S civilian personnel, 12 months ending 31 March 2022

Table 7: Number of working days lost due to sickness absence by ICD code for Trading Fund and Executive Agency civilian personnel

ICD 10 Organisational Structure 12 Months Ending 31-Mar-21 12 Months Ending 30-Jun-21 12 Months Ending 30-Sep-21 12 Months Ending 31-Dec-21 12 Months Ending 31-Mar-22
Trading Fund & Executive Agency Total (All ICD 10 Codes) 32,345 31,015 29,183 34,098 36,106
(ACI) Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes 709 1,111 1,318 1,495 395
(BFO) Diseases of the blood forming organs and certain disorders 243 160 152 129 53
(CIR) Diseases of the circulatory system 267 205 142 176 293
(COV) COVID-19 1,066 916 1,199 1,312 6,470
(DDS) Diseases of the digestive system 1,276 1,268 1,252 1,468 730
(DEM) Diseases of the ear and mastoid process 241 254 222 195 245
(DEY) Diseases of the eye and adnexa 388 457 442 380 157
(DGY) Diseases of the genito-urinary system 680 482 418 552 660
(DRS) Diseases of the respiratory system 1,649 1,836 2,005 3,814 5,100
(EMN) Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases 36 40 87 90 118
(IPO) Certain infectious and parasitic diseases 1,689 1,963 2,508 3,200 2,588
(MSD) Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue 3,017 2,980 2,602 3,117 2,246
(NGB) Neoplasms 876 1,450 1,711 1,683 972
(NSS) Diseases of the nervous system 4,315 4,285 2,922 2,579 2,417
(OPP) Factors influencing health status and contact with health service 2,256 2,073 1,706 1,532 2,822
(PCP) Pregnancy, childbirth and the peurperium 676 558 323 309 227
(PSD) Mental and behavioural disorders 7,232 6,516 5,474 6,420 6,178
(SCO) Diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue 84 96 97 78 86
(SID) Cause of Absence Not Yet Known 5,646 4,366 4,602 5,570 4,350

Chart 7: Number of working days lost due to sickness absence by ICD code for Trading Fund and Executive Agency civilian personnel, 12 months ending 31 March 2022

Chart C: Percentage of working days lost due to sickness absence by top five ICD codes for Non-Industrial civilian personnel compared against Industrial, DE&S and Trading Fund personnel, 12 months ending 31 March 2022

Symbols and Conventions

  • [c] fewer than five
  • [z] figure/calculation not applicable as data is zero or not of a sufficient size/calculation is not relevant
  • [r] Revision

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.

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 revisions will be highlighted in the Background Quality Report accompanying this publication.

In the 2021/22 report, the following revisions were made:

  • Personnel not in receipt of pay (zero pay personnel) should be excluded from analysis in the Civilian Personnel Sickness Absence Annual Report. However, due to data quality issues some of these personnel have been included historically in the analysis.
  • Due to low numbers of absence days lost within the Defence Electronic Components Agency (DECA) population, this population has historically been grouped with Head Office & Corporate Services (HO&Cs). Inconsistencies have been found in this methodology and have been revised accordingly.
  • Due to undercounts in the sickness absence incidents and days lost, as a result of database processing issue, in the period capturing sickness absences in the 12 Months Ending 31 March 2020, revisions have been made to previously published figures.
  • Due to the same database processing issues, minor revisions were also made in other periods. These had no significant impact on findings presented in previous reports. Revised figures have been represented with an [r] in data tables throughout this report. Analysis Civilian continue to monitor these data quality issues to ensure robust and accurate statistical processes are being followed.

Glossary

Ministry of Defence (MOD)

This United Kingdom Government department is responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces. The principal objective of the MOD is to protect the United Kingdom and its values and interests abroad. The MOD manages day to day running of the Armed Forces, contingency planning and defence procurement.

Civilian Level 0

Top Level Budgetary areas (TLBs) Defence, Equipment & Support (DE&S) Trading Entity Trading Fund & Executive Agencies Royal Fleet Auxiliary Locally Engaged Civilians

For this publication Royal Fleet Auxiliary and Locally Engaged Civilians have been excluded from Civilian Level 0 Totals.

Top Level Budgetary Area (TLB)

The major organisational groupings of the MOD directly responsible for the planning, management and delivery of departmental capability.

Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) Trading Entity

Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) equips and supports the UK’s Armed Forces for current and future operations. It acquires and supports through-life, including disposal, equipment and services ranging from ships, aircraft, vehicles and weapons, to electronic systems and information services. DE&S satisfies on-going requirements including food, clothing, medical supplies, maintenance and temporary accommodation, as well as operating HM Naval Bases and the joint supply chain for land, sea and air.

Trading Funds

Trading Funds were introduced by the Government under the Trading Funds Act 1973 as a ‘means of financing trading operations of a government department which, hitherto, have been carried out on Vote’. They are self-accounting units that have greater freedom than other government departments in managing their own financial and management activities. They are also free to negotiate their own terms and conditions with their personnel and for this reason their grading structures do not always match that of the rest of the Ministry.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary is a civilian-manned fleet, owned by the MOD, which supports Royal Navy ships around the world, supplying warships with fuel, ammunition and supplies. The RFA fleet is fully integrated into the RN’s command and control system and forms a vital part of maritime operations.

Locally engaged civilians

MOD employs a number of civilian personnel overseas, known as Locally engaged civilians (LECs). The definition of a Locally engaged civilian is an employee who has been recruited locally as a ‘servant of the Crown’. In other words, they have not been recruited through fair and open competition in the UK under the Civil Service Order in Council and they are not therefore members of the Home Civil Service or the Diplomatic Service. LECs are also employed on terms and conditions analogous with local employment law and market forces, and not those of the UK.

Army TLB (previously reported as Land Forces)

Performs a similar role to Navy Command within the context of trained Army formations and equipment.

Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO)

Established on 01 April 2011 replaced Defence Estates and includes TLB property and facilities management functions previously situated within other TLBs.

Head Office & Corporate Services (HO&CS)

Was established in April 2012. Lead areas of activity include Senior Finance Office (SFO) responsibility for ensuring that decisions are taken with due regard to affordability and value for money, acting as Head of Establishment for London HO Buildings and associated support requirements, Production of the Department’s Resource Accounts and Governance support for MOD Trading Funds.

HQ Air Command

Air Command incorporates the RAF’s Personnel and Training Command and Strike Command with a single fully integrated Headquarters, which equips the RAF to provide a coherent and coordinated single Air focus to the other Services, MOD Head Office, the Permanent Joint Headquarters and the rest of MOD.

Is the TLB for the Naval Service. As at 1 April 2010 Fleet TLB was renamed to Navy Command. Fleet TLB was formed on 1 April 2006 by the merger of the Commander-in-Chief Fleet and the Chief of Naval Personnel/ Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command.

UK Strategic Command (UKStratCom - formerly Joint Forces Command (JFC))

Was established at 1 April 2012 to ensure that a range of military support functions covering medical services, training and education, intelligence and cyber are organised in an efficient and effective manner to support success on operations, supporting investment in joint capabilities, strengthening the links between operational theatres and top level decision making. Joint Forces Command achieved Full Operational Capacity as at 1 April 2013, absorbing additional support roles from lead service TLBs. As of October 2019 JFC changed their official title to UKStratcom.

Defence Science and Technology Laboratory

Is an Executive Agency. It supplies impartial scientific and technical research and advice to the MOD and other government departments.

Defence Nuclear Organisation

Is the sponsor for the SDA as an Executive Agency. It became an Executive Agency on a phased approach after splitting out from DE&S. It was reported as a full Executive agency on April 2018. While Defence Nuclear Organisation is considered a Top Level Budgetary Area (TLB), Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA) personnel make up the majority of this organisation and SDA are considered a Trading Fund. Therefore, Defence Nuclear Organisation has been categorised as a Trading Fund in this publication. According to MOD administrative data systems, 2,400 people are classified as being within the Defence Nuclear Organisation (DNO). As at April 2022 approximately 1950 of that population work within the Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA), an Executive Agency of the Ministry of Defence and not part of MOD Main.

Approximately 450 personnel work within the Defence Nuclear Organisation (DNO), a TLB within MOD Main. The two populations are not separately identifiable on data provided for the purposes of producing Official Statistics on the MOD civilian workforce. Because the majority of the population classified as DNO on administrative data work for the Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA), an Executive Agency, this group is reported within ‘Trading Funds and Executive agencies’ as the Defence Nuclear Organisation, rather than as a MOD Main Top Level Budget.

UK Hydrographic Office

The UK Hydrographic Office is responsible for surveying the seas around the UK and other areas to aid navigation.

Full Time Equivalence (FTE)

Is a measure of the size of the workforce that takes account of the fact that some people work part-time. Prior to 1 April 1995 part-time employees were assumed to work 50 per cent of normal hours, but since then actual hours worked has been the preferred methodology. The average hours worked by part-time personnel is about 68 per cent of full-time hours.

ICD International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Health–related Problems

ICD Is a coding system for diseases and signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances and external causes of injury or diseases, as classified by the World Health Organisation

Industrial

Industrial personnel are 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.

Non-Industrial

Civilian personnel who are not primarily employed in a trade, craft or other manual labour occupation. This covers a wide range of personnel undertaking work such as administration, analysis, policy, procurement, finance, medical, dental, teaching, policing, science & engineering.

Strength

The total number of personnel employed by the Department at or within a specific time period.

Working Days

This follows Cabinet Office definition, setting a maximum number of sickness absence days at 225 days per person and excludes data for weekends, annual leave and bank holidays.

Working Days Lost

Average working days lost are the number of FTE days lost to sickness absence by civilian personnel within a 12 month rolling period.

Responsible statistician: Civilian Analysis Head of Branch

Further information/mailing list

Analysis-Civilian-Enquiries@mod.gov.uk

Background Quality Report:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-civilian-personnel-quarterly-report-background-quality-report

Would you like to be added to our contact list, so that we can inform you about updates to these statistics and consult you if we are thinking of making changes? You can subscribe to updates by emailing

Analysis-Civilian-Enquiries@mod.gov.uk