A new report reveals new insights into Queensland’s public service - the state’s largest workforce.

Queensland's Public Sector Commission has released the State of the Sector Report 2024, introducing a new format designed to enhance transparency and engagement.

The Queensland public sector employs over 308,000 individuals across various roles, including frontline, support, and corporate positions, to deliver essential services to the public. 

Nine out of ten public service roles are in frontline or frontline support positions.

The report highlights significant gender representation within the workforce, with women making up nearly 70 per cent of employees and holding almost 54 per cent of leadership roles, surpassing the sector's 50 per cent target.

A substantial portion of the workforce is employed in the health and education sectors, comprising 41 per cent and 32 per cent, respectively. 

Over the past year, the health workforce expanded by 6,546 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees, while the education workforce grew by 513 FTE employees.

Progress towards diversity targets is evident, though incremental. 

The representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples increased from 2.55 per cent to 2.66 per cent, with a target of 4 per cent. 

The proportion of employees living with a disability rose from 3.40 per cent to 3.54 per cent, with a target of 12 per cent. 

Additionally, employees from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds grew from 7.49 per cent to 8.24 per cent, aiming for 12 per cent.

The report also indicates strong support for flexible working arrangements, with 92 per cent of employees who requested flexible work having their requests fully or partially granted.

The report utilises multiple data sets, including workforce data, employee opinion results from the Working for Queensland survey, and conduct and performance data. 

This new approach, presented through interactive tables and graphs, aims to provide a clearer and more accurate reflection of the public sector workforce by minimising the impacts of seasonal data variations.

“By providing comprehensive data in interactive formats, and with greater analysis and explanation than ever before, we aim to foster a deeper understanding of the public sector workforce and our employees’ experiences,” says Public Sector Commissioner David Mackie.