 The public sector is a major industry by any standards, including in size, geographical spread, economic impact and products and services.
The public sector:
- is a major employer, with over 1.3 million employees, representing 18% of the total Australian workforce
- occupies a highly significant and pivotal position in Australian society generally and particularly in relation to vocational education and training, with diverse roles and responsibilities, with a very wide variety of services and facilities that impact on every aspect of the lives of Australian people, and which require employees with a very wide range of up to date knowledge and skills.
- contributes significantly to the development and maintenance of Australia's skill levels in both cities and in rural and regional areas through a widely dispersed workforce across Australia and overseas
- shares a number of characteristics with private sector enterprises and has some common industry/occupational groups but has significantly different roles and responsibilities, structures and complexity of decision-making and accountability, which result in additional skill issues and the need for different responses.
- pays employees gross earnings in excess of $60 billion per annum
- consists of a very diverse range and size of agencies
- intersects with a wide range of industries, but chiefly government administration and defence, education and health and community services, so the VET Plans for other related industries need to be considered in conjunction with the public sector one to get a better picture of skill issues, needs and responses across government employment
Find out more about trends in the public sector.
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