The Building Technical Officer

The public sector is comprised of federal and state/territory governments, statutory bodies and state-owned corporations.  According to recent data published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) the public sector employs over 1.6 million people.  Public sector employees play a key role in the development, review and implementation of government policies and provide an array of services for the community.  There is a diverse range of occupations within the public sector, spanning areas including education, health, policy, finance, police and emergency services.

Traditionally, the public sector employs a higher proportion of women compared to other sectors. Women typically comprise greater than 60% of the public sector workforce in each state and territory.  Recent data from the Western Australia Public Sector Commission, State of Sector Report 2012, indicates that this figure is approaching 70%.  Due to the analytical nature of the work, the public sector also tends to employ a higher number of graduates.

Findings from the GSA Environmental Scan 2013 are that the public sector is facing a number of significant workforce challenges in response to an ageing workforce and continued budgetary constraints.