This accessibility statement applies to:
1. the Scottish Government careers website www.jobs.gov.scot
2. the Scottish Government recruitment portal
Careers website accessibility statement
This website (https://www.jobs.gov.scot) is run by the Scottish Government. It is designed to be used by as many people as possible. You should be able to:
- use your web browser to change colours, contrast levels and fonts
- zoom in up to 300% without loss of information
- navigate the website using just a keyboard
- navigate the website using speech recognition software
- listen to the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)
- access the website using a mobile or tablet
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
Feedback and contact information
We want to find ways to improve the accessibility of this website.
If you find any problems or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, email ScottishGovernmentRecruitment@gov.scot with details.
Enforcement procedure
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’).
If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).
- Technical information about this website’s accessibility
The Scottish Government is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
Compliance status
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1 A and AA success criteria.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
We will carry out an accessibility audit and testing with users to identify any areas for improvement, we will implement any changes required to ensure that this website is fully compliant with the WCAG version 2.2 AA standard.
This website has been designed to use accessible formatting of content including colour contrast and text styling.
Recruitment portal accessibility statement
This accessibility statement applies to the Scottish Government recruitment portal.
The purpose of this accessibility statement is to:
- provide the website users with information about known issues
- allow them to submit feedback
- provides information regarding the level of accessibility we are targeting.
This statement is only for the Scottish Government’s recruitment portal webpages, including the application form. It does not cover any other websites or subdomains.
Our commitment
The Scottish Government is committed to making its public facing websites accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
How you can get the best out of this website
We want this website to be as accessible as possible for everyone who needs to use it. You should be able to:
- navigate the website and access most of the functionality if you are an access needs user
- use common browser accessibility settings while using this website
- browse and apply for jobs using most of the commonly used assistive technology
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you are experiencing barriers.
Guidelines that we follow and compliance status
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 Double-A standard, due to the accessibility issues listed below.
Non-accessible content
Content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons:
- Home page – the homepage lacks an H1 heading. Screen reader users and users who rely on headings to navigate the page structure may have difficulty navigating this page.
- Home page – search form input fields lack proper labels. Users with screen readers and cognitive disabilities may struggle to understand the purpose of the input fields and complete the search form.
- Home page – when using search, users with Apple VoiceOver may have difficulty interacting with the location dropdown menu.
- Home page – users on iPhone (SE) may be unable to see the text they are entering in the search form.
- Home page – if there are no results found when searching for jobs, then the ‘No results found’ message or search results are not announced by JAWS screen reader.
- Home page – when searching for jobs using a keyboard or screen reader, the ‘Show More Results’ button shifts focus to footer links instead of the newly loaded results.
- Home page – when searching for jobs, users may be confused by unclear filter labels and struggle to interact with filters effectively using screen readers or keyboard navigation.
- Job details page – the dialog contains two H1 headings, one of which is blank. There is a blank <h1> element containing ‘ ’ and no other content.
- Apply for Job – users must scroll down several pages of Terms and Conditions to reach the end. Users, particularly those on mobile devices, will have difficulty reading and navigating the lengthy content.
- Apply for Job – the terms and conditions checkbox doesn’t announce or select for Apple VoiceOver users on the submit email screen. User may have to find an alternative method to select to proceed.
- Apply for Job – when trying to select the ‘I agree with terms and conditions’ checkbox it does not become selectable using common Dragon voice commands.
- Job application form – when a user submits the form and there are validation errors, users may have difficulty in locating and correcting the error.
- Job application form – Apple VoiceOver doesn’t work with the dropdown menus on the Personal and Address Information screen. Users may have to find an alternative method to select options to proceed.
- Job application form – users with Assistive Technology may be unable to interact with or navigate dropdown menus effectively.
- Job application form – using Android Talkback screen reader, some prepopulated input fields appear disabled and cannot be interacted with.
- Job application form – several issues exist preventing screen reader users from effectively using the pagination controls.
- Job application form – validation is not triggered at the right time. Error messages only appear upon submitting the entire form. This may create confusion for some users.
- Job application form – screen reader users may encounter unexpected focus behaviour and potentially get stuck on an invisible element.
- Job application form – some links and email addresses within the content share the same style as regular text and cannot easily be distinguished from the plain text on the page.
- Job offer page – Apple VoiceOver doesn’t announce or select the Accept button on the job offer page. Users may have to find an alternative method to select Accept button to proceed.
Feedback and reporting accessibility problems with this website
If you find any problems that are not listed on this page or think we are not meeting accessibility requirements, please email ScottishGovernmentRecruitment@gov.scot with details of the problem you’ve encountered.
In your message, include:
- location and type of content
- what is not working for you
- your email address and name
Plan for future accessibility improvements
We will continue to work with the vendor, third party supplier, and other Government departments to address these issues as part of our commitment to WCAG 2.1 double A standards. In the future, we also aim to test against the more up-to-date version of WCAG 2.2 up to Double-A level.
Enforcement procedure
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’).
If you are not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).
Preparation of this accessibility statement
A specialist Accessibility Workstream was established in the Scottish Government Shared Services Programme. Findings from auditing and testing with users have been used to prepare this accessibility statement.
This website was last tested in August 2024 against the WCAG 2.1 Double-A standards. This test of a representative sample of pages using the WCAG-EM (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Evaluation Methodology) was carried out by the Scottish Government Accessibility Workstream.