This page provides a high‑level annual overview of Devon County Council’s workforce. It includes employees on permanent and fixed term contracts.
The figures are updated once a year and are based on the financial year (data is reported as of 31 March). They do not include school-based employees.
For more information about the data we publish under the Transparency Code, please visit our dedicated Transparency Code page.
For information about equality, diversity and inclusion in Devon County Council’s workforce, please visit our Performance and Monitoring page, which includes our latest Annual Performance Report.
Workforce overview
This section shows our workforce data by financial year (data is reported on 31 March). It includes the:
- total number of employees (permanent and fixed term contracts) at the end of each financial year (31 March annually)
- total full-time equivalent, known as FTE
FTE is a way of showing staffing levels based on the hours worked compared to a full-time employee, for example 1.0 FTE equals one full-time employee, while two employees working 0.5 FTE each equal 1.0 FTE.
| Financial year | Total employee headcount | Total FTE |
|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | 5,429 | 4,827 |
| 2024/25 | 5,298 | 4,677 |
Sickness absence
This section shows sickness absence levels by financial year. It includes the:
- total number of working days lost due to sickness, a working day is based on 7.4 hours
- percentage of working days lost to sickness for the financial year
| Financial year | Working days lost to sickness | Percentage of working days lost to sickness |
|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | 52,994.6 | 4.44% |
| 2024/25 | 51,836.3 | 4.49% |
Devon County Council’s agency workers
This section shows Devon County Council’s use of agency workers by financial year (data is reported on 31 March) It includes the:
- number of agency workers at the end of the financial year
- total amount spent on agency workers during that financial year
| Financial year | Total number of agency workers | Total spend |
|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | 138 | £13.84 million |
| 2024/25 | 198 | £18.28 million |
Devon County Council has continued to reduce its reliance on agency workers, with both the number of agency workers engaged and associated spend decreasing year-on-year. This reflects ongoing work to grow and retain a stable permanent workforce while ensuring services continue to operate effectively.
This section provides more detail about agency workers in two of our directorates:
- Integrated Adult Social Care.
- Children and Young People’s Futures.
The figures show the number of agency workers in post by 31 March, and the total amount spent on agency workers in each directorate during that year.
| Financial year | Directorate area | Total number of agency workers | Total spend |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25/26 | Integrated Adults Social Care | 22 | £1.16million |
| 25/26 | Children and Young People’s Futures | 96 | £10.27million |