Australian Government - SkillsInfo

Public administration and safety


Public Administration and Safety employs approximately 660,000 persons, full time and part time, which is around 6.1 per cent of the total workforce. Over the past five years, employment in the industry has increased at a rate of 2.0 per cent per annum. The median age for workers in this industry is 42 years and median earnings are around $1150 per week (before tax) for full-time employees.

Industry Employment Outlooks provide detailed analysis of employment characteristics, trends and prospects by industry, and highlight specific sectors where job growth is the strongest. Specific issues highlighted in these outlooks include workforce ageing, employment share by gender, educational profile, weekly earnings, average hours worked, regional and occupational employment.

Below is an Industry Employment Overview of the Public Administration and Safety industry. For more detailed information go to Industry Employment Profiles or directly to the Industry and Regional Tables page for data on broad (ANZSIC 1 digit) industries.

For information on data sources, including time periods, go to Help.

The following summary table illustrates how this historical trend translates into rates of growth within various time intervals (i.e. one, two, five and ten years).

          

Source: DEEWR Trend Data based on ABS Labour Force, Australia, Cat no: 6291.0.55.003 – August 2009

The following shows projected future growth, general employment characteristics and the proportion of workers aged 45 years and over in the Public Administration and Safety industry.

          

Characteristics and Mature Age Source: DEEWR Special Order based on ABS Labour Force, Australia, Cat no: 6291.0.55.003 – Calendar Year Average 2008

The following shows the top 10 employing DEEWR Labour Market Regions (LMRs) for this industry including the number employed by each region (in 000's):

Sydney 115.0
Melbourne 91.0
Brisbane 90.1
Southern NSW (incl ACT) 88.0
Perth 56.0
Adelaide 36.7
Hunter 30.3
Central and North QLD 27.0
Western Victoria 21.4
Tasmania 20.7

Source: Four quarter average based on ABS Labour Force, Australia, Cat no: 6291.0.55.003 – August 2009

More information on employment in the Public Administration and Safety industry by DEEWR Labour Market Region or by ABS Labour Force Region can be viewed by clicking the relevant link.

The top employing occupations in Public Administration and Safety industry are shown below. Click on any of the occupation titles to go to the Job Outlook web page for that occupation. Job Outlook contains a comprehensive statistical profile for each occupation, as well as links to Australian JobSearch and My Future.

Police 55.4
Security Officers and Guards 31.8
General Clerks 29.6
Contract, Program and Project Administrators 26.3
Inspectors and Regulatory Officers 23.7
Keyboard Operators 23.6
Inquiry Clerks 15.8
Welfare Support Workers 13.2
Policy and Planning Managers 12.7
Fire and Emergency Workers 12.3

Source: DEEWR Special Order based on ABS Labour Force, Australia, Cat no: 6291.0.55.003 – Calendar Year Average 2008.

Education and Training

Industry Skill Needs

Careers and Job Opportunities

Industry Organisations and Government Departments