This snapshot, taken on 07/04/2010, shows web content selected for preservation by The National Archives. External links, forms and search boxes may not work in archived websites.
The Civil Service is committed to providing equal opportunities for all, irrespective of ethnicity or nationality, gender, transgender, sexuality, disability, age, religion, marital status and working patterns. It aims to listen to, value and respect everyone as individuals with the potential to contribute to a top quality public service.
The Cabinet Office is responsible for ensuring that the Civil Service as a whole achieves greater representation at senior levels of minority ethnic staff, women and staff with disabilities, and that it values the diverse skills, experience and background of all civil servants.
Overall in 2007 the proportion of applications from women increased for the third consecutive year, to 45.7 per cent. Of the candidates recommended for appointment, women made up 45 per cent, compared with 50.4 per cent in 2006.
In the Graduate Fast Stream, 47.5 per cent of applicants, and 47.8 per cent of those recommended for appointment, were women.
In the Statistician scheme, 40 per cent of those recommended for appointment were women; and in the Economist scheme, 39.6 per cent were women. [See Chart 2]
Chart 2 – Women: Applications and Appointments by Competition
The Analysis by Gender table [PDF 265KB, 5 pages] shows the success of applicants by gender at each stage of the Fast Stream selection process.
Overall, 2.7 per cent of female applicants were recommended for appointment, compared with 2.8 per cent of male applicants.
Overall, applications from ethnic minority groups fell slightly from 13.7 per cent in 2006 to 13.5 per cent in 2007. The proportion of successful candidates from ethnic minority groups also fell from 11.1 per cent in 2006 to 9.5 per cent in 2007. [See Chart 3]
In the Graduate Fast Stream, 12.8 per cent of applicants, and 5.6 per cent of those recommended for appointment, were from an ethnic minority.
The representation of ethnic minority groups remained highest in the Economist scheme, in which 28.6 per cent of applicants and 19.8 per cent of successful candidates were from an ethnic minority.
Chart 3 – Applications and Appointments by Ethnicity
The Analysis by Ethnicity table [PDF 265KB, 5 pages] shows the success of applicants by ethnicity at each stage of the Fast Stream selection process.
Overall, 2 per cent of ethnic minority applicants were recommended for appointment, compared with 2.9 per cent of white applicants.
Overall, the percentage of applicants declaring a disability increased by one percentage point from 2006, to 3.6 per cent. The proportion of candidates recording a disability and recommended for appointment increased from 7.4 per cent in 2006 to 8.7 per cent in 2007.
The number of Graduate Fast Stream applicants to declare a disability was 340, or 3.7 per cent of the total, and compares with 2.5 per cent in 2006. A total of 318 candidates with a disability requested and were granted exemption from the online test. Of Graduate Fast Stream candidates recommended for appointment, 12 per cent had declared a disability; an increase from 9.8 per cent in 2006.
The Analysis by Disability table [PDF 265KB, 5 pages] shows the success of applicants with a recorded disability at each stage of the Fast Stream selection process.
Overall, 6.8 per cent of applicants with a declared disability were recommended for appointment, compared with 2.6 per cent of non-disabled applicants.
The median age on application for the Graduate Fast Stream was 23 years, and the median age of successful candidates was 24 years. Candidates are not required to declare their age, but of those who did the oldest successful candidate was 34.1
Applications for the 2007 Fast Stream came from about 100 UK universities and a wide range of academic backgrounds. The candidates recommended for appointment came from over 60 different universities. Overall, applications from Oxford and Cambridge Universities reduced slightly to 12.3 per cent of the total, from 12.4 per cent in 2006; while the proportion of successful candidates from those Universities increased slightly to 31.3 per cent in 2007 from 31.1 per cent in 2006.
The most common degree disciplines (accounting for 60 per cent of applicants) amongst those recommended for appointment to the Graduate Fast Stream were Humanities and Social Science. In the Statisticians scheme, which requires a numerate degree, 45 per cent of those recommended for appointment had a background in Mathematical Sciences. A background in Economics is a requirement of the Economist scheme, and 87 per cent of its successful candidates had an Economics-based first degree.
The Analysis by University table [PDF 166KB, 3 pages] lists the universities of first degree both of applicants and of those recommended for appointment.
The Analysis by Degree Type table [PDF 77KB, 1 page] lists the degree types of applicants and successful candidates, using the categories of the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
The Fast Stream Diversity Trends tables [PDF 222KB, 4 pages] show diversity trends in the Fast Stream as a whole during the last ten years.
Chart 4 shows the number of applicants by gender to the Fast Stream as a whole in each of the last ten years.
Chart 4 – Number of Applications by Gender 2
Chart 5 shows the gender distribution of candidates recommended for appointment since 1998.
Chart 5 – Percentage Recommended for Appointment by Gender 3
1Information provided by Parity plc.
2Since the introduction of online self-assessment in 2004, an application is deemed to have been submitted only if a candidate has completed the self-assessment and proceeds to take the online tests.
3 2005, 2006 and 2007 percentages based on candidates who declared their gender (a change to the method of data collection).