Number of public servants earning more than 120k flatlines

The number of Queensland public servants earning over $120,000 per year has flatlined as new figures reveal the public service could be at risk of falling short of targets to boost diversity.

The number of Queensland public servants earning over $120,000 per year has flatlined as new figures reveal the public service could be at risk of falling short of targets to boost diversity.

The latest Queensland public sector workforce profile shows that public servants earning over $120,000 a year increased by less than one per cent in the six months to March this year – now sitting at 32,386.53 full time equivalent positions.

It compares to a significant 10.37 per cent increase in the six months between March and September last year.

According to the latest figures from March, there were 3,539.60 FTE positions within the public service earning at least $180,000 per year – a slight drop from 3,557.02 FTE positions recorded in September.

The health sector makes up 76.78 per cent of those earning over $180,000, while education sector workers – such as executive principals – make up 5.87 per cent.

Tuesday’s State Budget forecast that the total spend on public service wages is set to climb by over 15 per cent over the next four years, reaching $30.34bn by 2024-25.

Meanwhile, the report shows the Queensland public sector is falling short of its target to ensure that 8 per cent the sector is comprised of people with disability by 2022.

According to the report, 2.83 per cent of the sector comprised of people with disability as of March – well short of the target.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples also make up about 2.5 per cent of the sector workforce – below the 3 per cent target set for 2022.

But the number of women in leadership roles across the public sector continues to surpass the sector’s 50 per cent target.

The sector also has a target to ensure that 10 per cent of the workforce is made up of people from a non-English speaking background – something that has already been achieved.

Commission Chief Executive of the Public Service Commission, Robert Setter, acknowledged that there was more they could do for people with disability, as well as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Commission Chief Executive of the Public Service Commission Robert Setter.

He also pointed to the 2020 annual Working for Queensland employee opinion survey that showed 9.2 per cent of respondents indicated they had a disability.

Mr Setter said this suggested employees felt more comfortable disclosing disability in the context of an anonymous survey – whereas the data collected for the workforce profile came from information collected through payroll.

“There is a deliberate strategy under the Savings and debt plan employee management framework, to allow critical non-frontline roles to be advertised externally where there (is) a focuson employing people with disability and First Nations peoples,” he said.