Australian
Public Sector Jobs

The public sector is a major employer in Australia.

Figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics for the year ending 30 June 2020 showed that the public sector employed 2,041,200 people.

The Commonwealth Government employed 246,000 people, state governments 1,609,100 people, and local governments 186,000 people.

ABS figures show that people employed in the public sector worked across the following industries in 2019–20:

  • 50,500 in electricity, gas, water and waste services
  • 6,200 in construction
  • 79,300 in transport, postal and warehousing
  • 16,500 in information media and telecommunications
  • 14,000 in financial and insurance services
  • 4,900 in rental, hiring and real estate services
  • 26,600 in professional, scientific and technical services
  • 637,400 in public administration and safety
  • 634,000 in education and training
  • 543,300 in health care and social assistance
  • 14,900 in arts and recreation services
  • 13,600 in other industries, including agriculture, forestry and fishing, mining, manufacture, wholesale trade, retail trade, accommodation and food services, administrative and support services, and other services.

Finding
A Public Sector Job

Each government in Australia advertises its new job opportunities online:

At a national level, Mandarin Careers also provides a centralised career development platform with Australia-wide senior leadership opportunities.

Each Council advertises its Local Government jobs on its respective website. A broader cross section of local government jobs are advertised by various employment websites.