NSW public service adds more than 10,000 new roles in just one year as average wages surpass $100k for the first time
Average wages in the NSW public service have topped the $100,000 mark for the first time as thousands of new workers, including nurses and train drivers, sign up to the sector. See how the wages are split up.
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Average wages in the NSW public service have topped the $100,000 mark for the first time as thousands of new workers including nurses and train drivers sign up to the sector.
A new report into the NSW public service has revealed there are now 391,451 full time employees working in the sector — making the size of the workforce bigger than several Australian cities including Newcastle and Wollongong
The total size of the NSW public service grew by 10,179 full time workers compared to the same time last year – outstripping growth in the private sector by almost one-third.
New healthcare jobs were the main contributor to the increased number of employees with an extra 4886 people employed including 2197 full time nurses.
There were also 2443 new general public service roles including 389 positions in the Department of Premier and Cabinet, while Sydney Trains has an extra 500 full time employees including 73 new drivers compared to one year ago.
Despite increases in some sectors, there were declines in others with 207 fewer full time teachers working in NSW compared with this time last year.
There were also 526 fewer police officers, 177 fewer prison officers and 25 fewer firefighters.
The report shows average public sector wages surged by 4.9 per cent over the last year — topping the $100,000 mark for the first time.
The growth in wages is the largest single yearly increase since figures were published in 2015 and takes average public sector wages to $100,647 – compared with $95,984 last year.
Despite the increase, a survey of public sector workers shows just 44 per cent of employees feel they are being “fairly paid” for the work they perform.
A separate auditors report outlining NSW government finances shows employee-related costs including superannuation accounted for 42.9 per cent of the state’s overall government sector expenses last financial year.
Wage rises in the public sector was also a leading contributor to an extra $4.4 billion in government sector expenses recorded over the 12 month period.
The increase in average wages comes after the NSW government reached historic pay agreements with several public service unions including a three per cent pay increase for teachers annually over the next three years.
Other agreements include a 25 per cent average wage increase over four years for paramedics, and a landmark pay agreement with police that will see the starting salary of probationary officers increasing from $81,517 to $97,206 by 2027.
The NSW government states the level of renumeration paid to public service employees is needed to “attract talent to the sector” and “maintain competitiveness as an employer”.
The report into the public service sector has also scoped the wellbeing of employees with 62 per cent of workers reporting a “positive perception of wellbeing” in 2024.
Just over half of workers – or 54 per cent – said the amount of stress they experience in the workplace was “manageable”, while 36 per cent of workers reported experiencing burnout – up two per cent from 2023.
Seventy-three per cent of public sector workers use flexible working arrangements, an increase of almost two per cent from last year.
The report has also revealed the gender pay gap in the public sector increased four per cent over the last year which the report states is partly due to men being “disproportionately represented in higher-paid industries and occupations.”
A NSW Government spokeswoman said the government was elected “on a commitment to rebuilding essential services across NSW.
“We’re doing that by investing in the people who deliver them,” she said.
“Already, we are seeing teacher vacancies at a three-year low, more than 220 paramedics have been recruited since signing a record pay increase and applications to become a police officer have surged by more than 50 per cent because of our investment in the force.
“Our fiscal discipline over the last two Budgets means we can afford to do this.
“We’ve brought the deficit down from more than $10 billion to less than $5 billion and we’ve lowered projected debt by $9 billion.”
NSW Opposition treasury spokesman Damien Tudehope has criticised the Labor government for a “blowout” in wage costs which he said offered “no costed productivity offsets in sight”.
He also warned public sector expenditure forecast over the next three years would result in “higher taxes, more debt and less services and support.”
Figures show the health services now make up the bulk of full time public service employees in NSW with 139,851 employees, followed by education with 120,293 workers.
Sixty two per cent of public service roles in NSW are based in the Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong regions.
The number of full time public sector employee roles in NSW compares to 367,945 in Victoria and 258,012 in Queensland. As a rate of population, the number of full time public sector employee roles in NSW is on par with Queensland but below Victoria.
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Originally published as NSW public service adds more than 10,000 new roles in just one year as average wages surpass $100k for the first time
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