Employment Outlook for. Public Administration and Safety

Employment Outlook for

Contents INTRODUCTION... 3 EMPLOYMENT GROWTH... 4 EMPLOYMENT PROSPECTS... 5 VACANCY TRENDS... 8 WORKFORCE AGEING... 11 EMPLOYMENT BY GENDER AND FULL-TIME/PART-TIME... 13 HOURS WORKED... 17 EMPLOYMENT CHARACTERISTICS... 18 Educational Profile...18 Median Weekly Earnings...19 Main Employing Regions...20 Main Employing Occupations...21 ISBN 978-0-642-33008-6 Employment Outlook for PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND SAFETY 2

Introduction The industry is a medium-sized employing industry in the Australian economy, employing 672 400 people as at February 2010 (or 6.1 per cent of the total workforce). The industry is roughly divided into eight sectors: Public Order and Safety Services; State Government Administration; Central Government Administration; Local Government Administration; Defence; Justice; Regulatory Services; and Government Representation. The discussion below focuses on employment characteristics, trends and prospects in the Public Administration and Safety industry, and highlights sectors where job growth is strongest. The analysis of characteristics includes workforce ageing, employment share by gender, educational profile, weekly earnings, average hours worked, regional and occupational employment. Most data in this Industry Outlook, and on SkillsInfo (www.skillsinfo.gov.au), are based on the ABS Labour Force Survey. For many small sectors within industries, standard errors are large relative to the size of the employment estimates. Although trend or annual average data are used for most employment estimates, figures should be used with caution, especially for the smallest employing sectors. Employment Outlook for PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND SAFETY 3

Employment Growth Employment in the industry has shown strong long-term growth (see Figure 1). In the ten years to February 2010, employment in rose by 198 000 or 41.7 per cent to 672 400. This represents an average annual growth rate of 3.6 per cent. Figure 1: Employment Level ('000s) - February 1992 to February 2010 800 700 600 584.8 589.1 610.0 615.6 644.6 629.5 672.9 672.4 500 433.6 463.8 459.7 458.9 4 79.1 4 71.5 450.3 470.6 474.3 506.6 531.0 400 300 200 100 0 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Source: ABS Labour Force Survey cat. no. 6291.0.55.003 (DEEWR trend data) While long-term job growth is evident, employment in is vulnerable to fluctuations in the economy (see Figure 2). Annual growth has been somewhat variable over the previous ten years with the employment level falling in the year to February 2008 (down by 15 200), following a rise in the year to February 2007 of 29 000. Employment increased over the year to February 2009 (up by 43 400), before falling slightly over the year to February 2010 (down by 500). Figure 2: Employment Level (line RHS) and Annual Change ('000) - year to February (cols LHS) 60 53.8 720 50 43.4 680 40 30 20 30.2 20.1 20.3 32.2 24.4 20.9 29.0 640 600 560 10 0-10 -4.1-0.8-7.6 3.7 4.3 5.6-0.5 520 480-20 -21.1-15.2 440-30 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 400 Source: ABS Labour Force Survey cat. no. 6291.0.55.003 (DEEWR trend data) Employment Outlook for PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND SAFETY 4

When employment in the industry is broken down into specific sectors, the main contributors to employment can be identified. Figure 3 highlights the distribution of Public Administration and Safety employment, specifically its concentration in the sectors of State Government Administration (198 900 workers or 30.4 per cent of industry employment) and Public Order and Safety Services (160 100 or 24.5 per cent). Local Government Administration is the third largest sector, employing 127 100 workers (or 19.4 per cent). Figure 3: Employment Levels ( 000) - February 2010 State Government Admin 198.9 Public Order, Safety Services 160.1 Local Government Admin 127.1 Central Government Admin 115.6 Defence 30.6 Justice 20.8 Government Representation 0.9 Regulatory Services 0.5 0 50 100 150 200 250 Source: ABS Labour Force Survey cat. no. 6291.0.55.003 (DEEWR trend data) Employment Outlook for PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND SAFETY 5

Employment Prospects DEEWR prepares annual updates of employment projections for industries for the next five years, the latest to 2014-15. The projections are an annual average for the five years. These are based in part on economic models, including Access Economics and the Monash model developed by the Centre of Policy Studies at Monash University, but also take into account recent employment trends and prospective industry developments. It should be noted that a certain degree of uncertainty is attached to these employment projections, especially for sectors within the broader Public Administration and Safety industry. Employment in has increased in the ten years to February 2010 (3.6 per cent per annum). In the five years to 2014-15, employment in Public Administration and Safety is expected to grow at an average rate of 1.3 per cent per annum, which equates to around 45 200 new jobs (see Figure 4). This compares with an average annual growth rate of 1.8 per cent across all industries over the same period. Figure 4: Recent and Projected Employment Growth (% pa) - to February 2010 (past) and 5 years to 2014-15 (projected) 4.0 3.5 3.6 3.4 3.0 2.5 2.0 2.0 1.8 1.5 1.3 1.0 0.5 0.0-0.5 10 year growth 5 year growth 2 year growth 1 year growth DEEWR Projection All Industries Projection -0.1 Source: ABS Labour Force Survey cat. no. 6291.0.55.003 (DEEWR trend data); DEEWR projections to 2014-15 Employment Outlook for PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND SAFETY 6

All of the eight sectors within are projected to grow over the five years to 2014-15 (see Figure 5). Justice is expected to have the strongest annual employment growth rate of 2.4 per cent per annum, followed by Local Government Administration (2.3 per cent) and Defence (1.6 per cent). Figure 5: Projected Employment Growth (% pa) - to 2014-2015 Justice 2.4 Local Government Admin 2.3 ALL INDUSTRIES 1.8 Defence 1.6 Public Order, Safety Services 1.4 1.3 Regulatory Services 1.2 State Government Admin 1.0 Central Government Admin 0.8 Government Representation 0.5 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 Source: ABS Labour Force Survey cat. no. 6291.0.55.003 (DEEWR trend data); DEEWR projections to 2014-15 Employment Outlook for PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND SAFETY 7

Recent and projected growth figures vary across the eight sectors (see Figure 6). In the five years to February 2010, State Government Administration has gained the highest number of jobs (59 900). This was followed by Local Government Administration (31 800). Over the same period, employment declined in Central Government Administration (down by 48 100). There appears to be some sampling variability or reporting errors affecting these data, in view of the very strong growth for State Government and the sharp fall for central Government. Looking ahead, in the five years to 2014-15, all of the eight sectors are expected to experience employment growth. The main contributor to future growth in the industry is projected to be Local Government Administration (up by 14 800), followed by Public Order and Safety Services (12 100) and State Government Administration (8700). Figure 6: Recent and Future Employment Growth ( 000) - 5 years to February 2010 (past) and to 2014-15 (projected) 14.8 31.8 Local Government Admin -5.3 12.1 Public Order, Safety Services 8.7 59.9 State Government Admin -48.1 4.9 Central Government Admin 2.5 5.8 Justice 2.4 4.7 Defence -2.0 0.2 Regulatory Services -0.4 0.0 Government Representation -60-40 -20 0 20 40 60 80 5 years to 2014-15 5 years to February 2010 Source: ABS Labour Force Survey cat. no. 6291.0.55.003 (DEEWR trend data); DEEWR projections to 2014-15 Employment Outlook for PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND SAFETY 8

Vacancy Trends DEEWR has developed an Internet Vacancy Index (IVI) covering all occupations across all skill levels. IVI is based on a count of online vacancies newly lodged on SEEK, MyCareer, CareerOne and Australian JobSearch. The Industry IVI is based on the distribution of the IVI to broad industry groups using occupational and industry employment proportions from the ABS Labour Force Survey. Over the year to February 2010, vacancies decreased by 14.0 per cent (more than the all industries average of 11.3 per cent). Figure 7: Internet Vacancy Index (IVI) Total and March 2006 to February 2010 (March 2006 = 100) 180 IVI total 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 Mar-06 Jun-06 Sep-06 Dec-06 Mar-07 Jun-07 Sep-07 Dec-07 Mar-08 Jun-08 Sep-08 Dec-08 Mar-09 Jun-09 Sep-09 Dec-09 Source: DEEWR Industry Internet Vacancy Index (three month moving average) 1 1 Industry Internet Vacancy Index data can be found at www.skillsinfo.gov.au/lmi/vacancyreport Employment Outlook for PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND SAFETY 9

Between February 2008 and February 2010, the largest decrease in internet vacancies in the Public Administration and Safety industry was for Queensland (down by 2949 or 55.6 per cent), followed by New South Wales (4155 or 48.7 per cent) and Victoria (2520 or 45.1 per cent, see Figure 8). Figure 8: Number of Internet Vacancies by State/Territory February 2008, 2009, 2010 8000 7170 7000 6000 Feb-08 Feb-09 Feb-10 5000 4374 4000 4047 3716 3656 3000 2661 2000 1000 2194 2018 2096 957 696 641 2063 1372 1165 282 239 231 487 424 471 1697 1507 1543 0 NSW VIC Qld SA WA TAS NT ACT Source: DEEWR Industry Internet Vacancy Index (three month moving average) Employment Outlook for PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND SAFETY 10

Workforce Ageing In comparison to all industries, has a workforce which is skewed towards mature age workers, with 44.3 per cent of the workforce aged 45 years and over, and a relatively low 6.6 per cent aged 24 years and less (compared to 16.8 per cent for all industries, see Figure 9). This reflects a high proportion of mature age employment, with many workers choosing life time careers in the public service. The public service, typically requiring higher-skilled workers, is attractive for those with family responsibilities and for those looking to balance work duties with other commitments. Figure 9: Employed by Age compared with All Industries (% share of employment) - 2009 30 27.9 Median Age = 42.2 years 26.1 25 23.0 21.7 23.0 22.3 20 15 14.4 13.6 10 10.4 6.4 5.5 5 1.1 2.0 2.6 0 15-19 20-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65 and over All Industries Source: ABS Labour Force Survey cat. no. 6291.0.55.003 (four quarter average) In 2009, the median age for was 42 years (see Figure 10). All industry sectors had a median age which was higher than the median age for all industries (39 years). Government Representation had the highest median age in the industry (53 years), followed by Regulatory Services (47 years). Public Order and Safety Services had the lowest median age of 40 years. Figure 10: Median Age in years 2009 53 Government Representation 47 Regulatory Services 46 Justice 46 Local Government Admin 43 State Government Admin 42 41 Defence 41 Central Government Admin 40 Public Order, Safety Services 39 ALL INDUSTRIES 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Source: ABS Labour Force Survey cat. no. 6291.0.55.003 (DEEWR special order, four quarter average) Employment Outlook for PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND SAFETY 11

Of the 19 Australian and New Zealand Industrial Classification 2006 (ANZSIC 2006) industries, Public Administration and Safety has a relatively high percentage of workers aged 45 years and over (see Figure 11). The industry has the third highest share of workers aged 45 to 54 years (27.9 per cent). However, only 2.0 per cent of the industry workforce is aged 65 years and over, compared with 2.6 per cent for all industries. Figure 11: Mature Age workers (45+ years) % share of employment 2009 Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing 26.9 19.1 11.9 Education and Training 29.0 18.6 2.7 Health Care and Social Assistance 28.1 16.8 2.6 Transport, Postal and Warehousing 25.5 17.1 3.8 27.9 14.4 2.0 Electricity, Gas, Water, Waste Services 24.8 16.1 3.1 Wholesale Trade 23.1 14.5 3.4 Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services 19.5 15.8 5.5 Administrative and Support Services 22.3 14.8 3.2 Manufacturing 22.2 14.7 3.0 ALL INDUSTRIES 22.3 13.6 2.6 Mining 23.0 12.9 1.3 Construction 20.8 13.2 2.1 Professional, Scientific, Technical Services 19.7 12.8 3.3 Other Services 19.3 12.8 3.0 Arts and Recreation Services 19.8 11.6 3.3 Information Media and Telecommunications 18.5 9.3 1.6 Financial and Insurance Services Retail Trade 17.8 16.5 9.3 10.1 1.8 1.4 45-54 55-64 65+ Accommodation and Food Services 12.3 7.8 1.2 Source: ABS Labour Force Survey cat. no. 6291.0.55.003 (four quarter average) 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 (per cent) Employment Outlook for PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND SAFETY 12

Figure 12 shows employment by age group for three calendar years: 1999, 2004 and 2009. This provides a guide to changes in the employment mix by age group in the industry. As the Australian workforce experiences an increase in the median age of the population, it is important that there is a supply of prime age and mature age workers entering the workforce. Over time, the industry is employing more workers in all age groups. Numerically, growth has been strongest in the 45 to 54 years category, with an increase of 59 500 workers over the past 10 years. The highest percentage growth, however, occurred for workers aged 65 years and over (368.0 per cent) although it should be noted that in 1999 workers in this age group had a low share of total employment in the industry. Figure 12: Employment by Age ('000) - 1999, 2004 and 2009 200.0 186.8 180.0 174.8 171.2 162.4 160.0 153.5 1999 140.0 140.2 144.6 2004 2009 120.0 121.0 127.3 100.0 96.5 80.0 69.2 60.0 40.0 30.9 37.0 36.9 42.0 20.0 0.0 6.3 9.8 11.7 7.2 6.7 2.5 15-19 20-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65 and over Source: ABS Labour Force Survey cat. no. 6291.0.55.003 (four quarter average) Employment Outlook for PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND SAFETY 13

Employment by Gender and Full-time/Part-time Employment in the industry is dominated by male full-time employment (49.0 per cent). Total employment, however, is almost evenly split by gender, with 53.5 per cent of workers male compared with 54.4 per cent for all industries (see Figure 13). There were more part-time female workers than part-time male workers in this industry in February 2010 (11.4 per cent compared with 4.5 per cent). This can be attributed to the flexible working conditions in this industry, especially for employees with family responsibilities. Figure 13: Employment by Gender and Full Time/ Part Time (% share) Year to February 2010 60 50 49.0 45.6 40 35.1 30 24.7 20 20.9 10 4.5 8.8 11.4 0 Full-Time (Males) Part-Time (Males) Full-Time (Females) Part-Time (Females) ALL INDUSTRIES Source: ABS Labour Force Survey cat. no. 6291.0.55.003 (four quarter average) Employment Outlook for PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND SAFETY 14

Male employment has the majority share in four of the eight sectors within the Public Administration and Safety industry (see Figure 14). Male workers are most apparent in Public Order and Safety Services (72.5 per cent), followed by Defence (67.2 per cent) and Government Representation (59.1 per cent). Regulatory Services and Justice employed the highest proportions of female workers (64.5 per cent and 62.7 per cent respectively). Figure 14: Employment by Gender (% share) - year to February 2010 Public Order, Safety Services 27.5 72.5 Defence 32.8 67.2 Government Representation 40.9 59.1 Local Government Admin 44.4 55.6 ALL INDUSTRIES 45.6 54.4 Male % Share Female % Share 46.5 53.5 State Government Admin 44.2 55.8 Central Government Admin 40.6 59.4 Justice 37.3 62.7 Regulatory Services 35.5 64.5 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Source: ABS Labour Force Survey cat. no. 6291.0.55.003 (four quarter average) Total male employment in has grown over the five years to February 2010 by slightly more than female employment (27 400 compared with 27 200). There has been particularly marked growth in female full-time employment (27 700). Male full-time employment increased by 24 200 while male part-time employment increased by 3200. Figure 15: Employment Growth by Gender (5 years) Full-Time/- Part-Time ( 000) - Year to February 2010 30.0 27.4 27.2 27.7 25.0 24.2 20.0 15.0 10.0 5.0 3.2 0.0-0.5-5.0 Males Total Males FT Males PT Females Total Females FT Females PT Source: ABS Labour Force Survey cat. no. 6291.0.55.003 (four quarter average) Employment Outlook for PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND SAFETY 15

All of the industry sectors have a higher full-time employment share than all industries (70.3 per cent, see Figure 16). The highest full-time employment shares can be found in Defence (92.2 per cent), followed by Regulatory Services (87.9 per cent) and Justice (86.6 per cent). Figure 16: sectors - % working full-time - year to February 2010 Defence 92.2 Regulatory Services 87.9 Justice 86.6 Central Government Admin 85.1 Public Order, Safety Services 84.9 Government Representation 84.6 84.1 State Government Admin 84.1 Local Government Admin 79.3 ALL INDUSTRIES 70.3 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Source: ABS Labour Force Survey cat. no. 6291.0.55.003 (four quarter average) Employment Outlook for PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND SAFETY 16

Hours Worked has a lower overall average of weekly hours for full-time workers (36.8 hours, see Figure 17) in comparison with all industries (41.1 hours). The highest share of workers in the industry was recorded in the 35 to 39 hours category (28.7 per cent). There were relatively low shares of workers in the 1 to 15 hours and the 50 or more hours categories (6.0 per cent and 10.7 per cent respectively). This reflects the general consistency of hours worked in the public service. (Average hours worked for full-time workers = 36.8) 35 Figure 17: Hours of Work (% share) - Year to February 2010 30 28.7 25 20 15 10 12.7 12.7 15.4 11.3 9.5 17.4 15.5 15.3 15.1 12.8 10.7 17.0 6.0 5 0 1-15 16-29 30-34 35-39 40 41-49 50 or more All Industries Source: ABS Labour Force Survey cat. no. 6291.0.55.003 (four quarter average) Employment Outlook for PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND SAFETY 17

Employment Characteristics Educational Profile is a relatively highly skilled industry with 72.2 per cent of workers in the industry holding a non-school qualification in May 2009, compared with 61.3 per cent for all industries (see Figure 18). A large proportion of workers in the industry had attained a Bachelor Degree qualification or above (39.0 per cent), followed by workers with a Certificate III and IV (14.8 per cent) and workers with an Advanced diploma and diploma (12.2 per cent). Only 27.8 per cent of workers had not attained a nonschool qualification. Figure 18: Educational Attainment (% share of employment) - May 2009 Total Non School Qualifications 72.2 Bachelor degree or above 39.0 Advanced diploma and diploma 12.2 Certificate III and IV 14.8 Certificate I and II 3.3 Certificate not further defined 1.6 Level not determined 1.4 Without a Non School Qualification 27.8 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 Source: ABS Education and Work, Cat. no. 6227.0 (May 2009) Employment Outlook for PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND SAFETY 18

Median Weekly Earnings Median weekly full-time earnings for ($1150) in 2008 were higher than median earnings for all industries ($1000) as shown in Figure 19. The Defence sector had the highest median weekly full-time earnings ($1250), followed by Justice ($1245) and Regulatory Services ($1200). Government Representation had the lowest median weekly full-time earnings ($805), followed by Local Government Administration ($969). The relatively high earnings in can be attributed in part to the relatively high skill and older age of workers within the industry. Figure 19: Median weekly earnings (full-time and before tax) - August 2008 Defence $1,250 Justice $1,245 Regulatory Services $1,200 Central Government Admin $1,200 Public Order, Safety Services $1,188 State Government Admin $1,167 $1,150 ALL INDUSTRIES $1,000 Local Government Admin $969 Government Representation $805 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 Source: ABS Employee Earnings, Benefits and Trade Union Membership, Cat. no. 6310.0 (four quarter average) Employment Outlook for PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND SAFETY 19

Main Employing Regions Employment in the industry is concentrated in the larger cities, with Sydney employing the largest number of workers (112 600), followed by Southern NSW (including the Australian Capital Territory, 92 100), Brisbane (91 900) and Melbourne (91 600), as shown in Figure 20. As expected, lower numbers of workers are employed in rural areas such as in Southern Queensland (9500), South Australia Country (11 000) and Eastern Victoria (11 800). Figure 20: Main Employing Regions ('000) February 2010 Sydney 112.6 Southern NSW (incl ACT) Brisbane Melbourne 92.1 91.9 91.6 Perth 52.8 Adelaide 38.9 Central and North QLD Hunter 30.2 28.7 Tasmania Western Victoria Northern Territory Greater WA 21.1 18.9 17.4 17.2 Western NSW Northern NSW Eastern Victoria SA Country Southern QLD 12.9 12.6 11.8 11.0 9.5 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 Source: ABS Labour Force Survey cat. no. 6291.0.55.003 (four quarter average) Employment Outlook for PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND SAFETY 20

Main Employing Occupations It is useful for job seeking and career advice, to identify key occupations within an industry. Occupations are generally spread across a variety of industries and may not normally be associated with particular industries. In, the largest number of workers were employed as Police workers (53 800, see Figure 21), followed by General Clerks (33 600), and Security Officers and Guards (32 200). There were relatively low numbers of workers employed as Urban and Regional Planners (6700), Human Resource Managers (6800) and Database and Systems Administrators and ICT Security (6900). Figure 21: Top 20 Employing Occupations ( 000) in 2009 Police 53.8 General Clerks Security Officers and Guards 32.2 33.6 Contract, Program and Project Administrators Inspectors and Regulatory Officers 25.4 26.8 Inquiry Clerks 18.7 Keyboard Operators Prison Officers Policy and Planning Managers Fire and Emergency Workers Office Managers Intelligence and Policy Analysts Welfare Support Workers Accountants Other Miscellaneous Labourers Accounting Clerks 15.0 13.9 13.2 12.8 12.4 12.2 10.3 10.1 9.7 9.5 Welfare, Recreation and Community Arts Workers Database & Systems Administrators & ICT Security Human Resource Managers Urban and Regional Planners 7.4 6.9 6.8 6.7 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Source: ABS Labour Force Survey cat. no. 6291.0.55.003 (four quarter average) Further information on occupations is available on the Job Outlook website (www.joboutlook.gov.au) For further information on the industry (or other industries), visit the SkillsInfo website at www.skillsinfo.gov.au. SkillsInfo provides a range of skills related information for industries and regions. The website offers a broad range of information on employment, careers, education and training and skills issues - including workforce ageing, skills in demand, labour force data, ICT and employability skills, as well as quick links to skills information. Data are sourced mainly from the ABS Labour Force Survey. SkillsInfo also brings together a large collection of links to external industry and skills related websites. Employment Outlook for PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND SAFETY 21