Public/Private employment split in QLD…it’s not what you might think

Posted on September 23, 2021 by Pete Faulkner - Jobs, QLD, Uncategorized

Today’s quarterly data from the ABS allows us to revisit the split between Public and Private sector employment in Queensland; and the results might surprise you.

Public sector employment (which includes Federal, State and Local Government employees) is down 6.7% year-on-year (Conus seasonally adjusted series) while Private sector is up 6.8% y/y.

Queensland’s public sector workforce sits at 14.1%, the only State or Territory with a lower percentage is Victoria at 13.0%. Seven years ago QLD’s Public Sector made up 12.2% of total employment but this was higher than NSW, WA and Victoria and about level with SA. While QLD’s Public Sector has certainly grown faster than the Private sector over that period, only Tasmania and the ACT have seen a smaller relative increase in their Public sector employment.