Public service minister Katy Gallagher has welcomed the news that public service roles between APS1 to SES Band 2 levels have achieved gender parity, noting there were plenty of leadership opportunities for women working in government.
Employment data released by the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) on Friday showed women (50.1%) and men were now equally employed at the SES Band 2 classification.
In a statement, Gallagher said the latest data showed the government was holding true to its promise of being a model employer.
“As the minister for the public service and the minister for women, it gives me great pride to see our public service leading by example,” she said.
The new statistics now mean women have reached parity at every level from APS 1 to SES Band 2.
A breakdown shows women make up 54.7% of SES 1 roles, 50.1% of SES 2 roles, and 47.4% of SES 3 roles (four positions away from parity).
The minister added the positive data indicated more than statistical representation – it also reflected shifting attitudes about equal participation.
“It is also about women’s economic equality and ensuring that women are being afforded the same leadership opportunities that their male counterparts are and the pay packets that come with those roles,” Gallagher said.
Over the past 12 months, women comprised 58.5% of ongoing employees who joined SES ranks.
Women today comprise 60.4% of the overall APS, the same as data recorded on 30 June 2022.
Gallagher pointed to news in August that the APS’s gender pay gap had reached a record low of 5.2%. She said more attention would be given to advancing gender equality measures in the service.
“I look forward to continuing to drive gender equality in the APS through bargaining outcomes and parental leave reform in response to the APS commissioner’s review of the Maternity Leave Act,” she said.
Although representation for APS employees who are First Nations has proportionally declined from 3.7% to 3.5% in the last year, staff figures for 2022 have increased by 49 new hires. The data shows there are 6,002 First Nations employees working in the APS.
In terms of public service rates for employment of people with disabilities, the APSC said staff numbers “remained relatively stable” at 5.1%, compared to 5.0% as of June 2022.
“There are 8,734 people with a recorded disability employed in the APS, an increase of 702 employees,” the report read.
The government employee data is different to ASL data reported in the federal government’s Budget paper No.4 because the APSC measures its staffing based on point-in-time headcount while the former measures staffing across the financial year.
Other headline workforce trends included a 6.9% growth in headcount or 11,041 more public servants than the previous year, and a fixed separation rate (8.1% for 2022-23).
“The year-on-year increase is mostly due to an increase in the number of ongoing employees. The overall number of ongoing employees grew by 10,226 (7.3%) over this period,” the APSC said.
APS non-ongoing employee numbers have also increased by 815 (4.4%) over the past 12 months to June 30. Employees in these APS jobs comprise 11.3% of the service.
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