Public service headcount

People employed in the Australian Public Service Official figures

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Loading the Australian Public Service Commission figures…

Ongoing

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permanent employees

Non-ongoing

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fixed term, task or casual

Since the previous release

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Over 12 months

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Headcount, ASL and FTE are different counts. Headcount (this page's main figure) counts every person employed under the Public Service Act 1999 on one day, part-time or full-time. FTE (full-time equivalent) counts two half-time people as one. ASL (average staffing level) is FTE averaged over a whole financial year; the Budget papers use it, and they cover more bodies than the APS. The three numbers never match.
Machinery-of-government changes move staff between agencies. When functions move from one department to another, the staff move too. A department can grow or shrink by thousands without anyone being hired or leaving the public service.
Contractors and labour hire are not in the headcount. Work done by consultants, contractors, labour hire and outsourced providers lowers headcount without lowering the cost of the work. Moving that work back to employees raises headcount. See the external workforce section below.
There is a lag. The APSC counts staff on 30 June and 31 December and publishes each count about three months later. The ABS counts all public sector jobs once a year, in June, and publishes in November. Budget ASL figures come out with each Budget.
The APS is only part of the Commonwealth workforce. Not counted in the headcount: Defence force members, and Commonwealth bodies that employ staff under their own laws (for example the ABC, CSIRO and Australia Post).

APS headcount over time

All employeesOngoingShading: government in office

Table view

Change under each government

Biggest agencies

Ongoing and non-ongoing

Every year since 2007

APS headcount by state

All public sector jobs, every level of government

Budget staffing levels Budget ASL, not headcount

Table view

Contractors, labour hire and consultants

Sources and downloads

public_service_headcount_v2.csvAPS headcount, ongoing and non-ongoing, 1997 to now
public_service_agencies_v2.csvevery agency, latest two releases
public_service_aps_by_state_v2.csvAPS headcount by state since 2007
public_service_public_sector_by_state_v2.csvABS public sector jobs by state and level of government
public_service_asl_v2.csvBudget ASL since 2006-07
public_service_classification_external_v2.csvclassification mix and external workforce audits
public_service_v2.jsoneverything, with sources

All sources (…)

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