Public sector jobs make up an increasing share of the total workforce:
- Between August 2014 and August 2024, the share of the workforce employed in the public sector increased from 12.5 per cent to 17.9 per cent.
The vast majority of new jobs in Australia post-Covid are in the public sector:
- Between August 2014 and August 2022, 76.5 per cent of new persons employed were in the private sector.
- Between August 2022 and August 2024, 82.1 per cent of new persons employed were in the public sector.
- The total number of new public sector jobs created since August 2022 has already outstripped the number created from August 2014 to August 2022 by approximately 40 per cent, with 475,800 public sector jobs created from August 2014 to August 2022, compared with 658,600 created since August 2022.
The surge in public sector jobs has occurred across every state:
- NSW: From August 2014 to August 2022 only 13.7 per cent of new jobs were in the public sector; since August 2022 all new jobs, on net, were in the public sector, with private sector jobs dropping by 25,000.
- Victoria: From August 2014 to August 2022 only 19.5 per cent of new jobs were in the public sector; since August 2022 almost 70 per cent of all new jobs, on net, were in the public sector.
- Queensland: From August 2014 to August 2022 29.3 per cent of new jobs were in the public sector; since August 2022 70 per cent of all new jobs, on net, were in the public sector.
- South Australia: From August 2014 to August 2022 31.3 per cent of new jobs were in the public sector; since August 2022 72.1 per cent of all new jobs, on net, were in the public sector.
- Western Australia: From August 2014 to August 2022 40.8 per cent of new jobs were in the public sector; since August 2022 51.1 per cent of all new jobs, on net, were in the public sector. Also, since 2022 Western Australia has been the only jurisdiction to experience a similar number of additional employees across both the private and public sectors.
- Tasmania: From August 2014 to August 2022, 41.4 per cent of new jobs were in the public sector; since August 2022, all new jobs, on net, were in the public sector, with private sector jobs dropping by 7,000.
