The revelation has angered Colin Smyth MSP, who pointed out that after coming to power in 2007, the SNP abandoned the previous Labour-Liberal Democrat administration’s policy of moving jobs outwith the central belt.
Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture Angus Robertson confirmed that during the last five years “no civil service jobs within the Scottish Government have been specifically relocated to South Scotland region”.
He went on to state that in the Scottish Government Main bargaining unit (SGM), which comprises core government directorates and associated agencies, there are approximately 560 jobs located within the South Scotland region, representing 4.75 per cent of all staff in SGM.
However, Mr Smyth highlighted that the electoral region comprises 12.41 per cent of Scotland’s population, so the 4.75 per cent falls ‘significantly short’.
He said: “The Scottish Government is a huge employer but the fact that no civil service jobs have been transferred from the central belt into the south Scotland region in the past five years is shocking. The SNP Government has claimed in the past that it was going to halt the centralisation of power and move more jobs and resources away from Edinburgh and Glasgow, but this blatantly hasn’t happened.
“Our region is desperately in need of jobs and especially high quality, well paid jobs which might help to keep some of our young people from relocating out of the area.
“If anything can come out of the pandemic I would hope that the Scottish Government will consider more home working and thereby allowing more people to live and work in different parts of the country.”
