Occupation type
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Every Queensland public sector role is categorised as either frontline and frontline support, or as a corporate role. The data also differentiates between key frontline roles
9 out of 10 Queensland public servants work in either key frontline or frontline and frontline support roles.
Between March 2022 and March 2026:
- The number of key frontline full-time equivalent (FTE) roles increased by 19,560.49
- The number of frontline and frontline support FTE increased by 13,641.54
- The number of corporate FTE increased by 4,606.30.
| FTE roles | Mar 2022 | Mar 2023 | Mar 2024 | Mar 2025 | Mar 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key frontline roles | 152,544.72 | 154,138.53 | 159,550.51 | 165,970.12 | 172,105.21 |
| Frontline and frontline support | 68,886.12 | 70,139.84 | 74,382.77 | 80,002.84 | 82,527.66 |
| Corporate | 20,338.03 | 22,031.12 | 24,078.85 | 24,910.75 | 24,944.33 |
Source: MOHRI 2022–2026
Key frontline roles
Key frontline roles are those that are critical or essential in a community, and include roles in healthcare, education and public safety. These roles include nurses, doctors, teachers, police officers, ambulance officers, child safety case workers, youth case workers, firefighters and correctional officers.
In the 12 months to March 2026, the number of key frontline FTE roles increased by 6,135.09 (3.70%). Over the 5 years to 2026, the number of key frontline FTE grew from 152,544.72 to 172,105.21, reflecting the government’s focus on strengthening frontline services.
| Key frontline FTE roles | Mar 2025 | Mar 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Ambulance officers | 5,503.24 | 5,939.48 |
| Child safety case workers | 1,953.27 | 2,133.48 |
| Correction officers | 5,273.01 | 5,544.23 |
| Disability support workers | 919.87 | 887.03 |
| Doctors | 13,124.17 | 13,832.98 |
| Firefighters | 2,977.68 | 3,123.58 |
| Health practitioners/professional/technical | 17,251.27 | 18,015.54 |
| Nurses and midwives | 43,866.99 | 45,575.42 |
| Police | 12,278.72 | 12,761.16 |
| TAFE teachers and tutors | 2,095.61 | 2,000.34 |
| Teacher aides | 10,955.65 | 11,446.68 |
| Teachers | 48,592.74 | 49,603.27 |
| Youth and case workers | 1,177.90 | 1,242.02 |
| Total | 165,970.12 | 172,105.21 |
Source: MOHRI 2025–2026.
Key frontline FTE roles | Mar 2022 | Mar 2023 | Mar 2024 | Mar 2025 | Mar 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ambulance Officers | 5.36% | 2.90% | 5.64% | 5.19% | 7.93% |
| Child safety case workers | 5.79% | 1.10% | 5.20% | 0.68% | 9.23% |
| Correction Officers | 13.95% | 1.14% | 6.52% | 13.88% | 5.14% |
| Disability Support Workers | -9.50% | -4.51% | -0.23% | -2.47% | -3.57% |
| Doctors | 2.45% | 2.73% | 6.77% | 8.42% | 5.40% |
| Firefighters | 1.24% | 3.10% | 4.74% | 5.72% | 4.90% |
| Health Practitioners/Professional/Technical | 5.54% | 1.33% | 6.59% | 6.78% | 4.43% |
| Nurses and Midwives | 6.14% | 1.53% | 5.69% | 6.04% | 3.89% |
| Police | 0.04% | -0.49% | -0.14% | 3.26% | 3.93% |
| TAFE Teachers and Tutors | 3.26% | 2.62% | 5.88% | -2.16% | -4.55% |
| Teacher Aides | -0.49% | 0.88% | 0.15% | 1.39% | 4.48% |
| Teachers | 0.26% | 0.33% | 0.94% | 0.23% | 2.08% |
| Youth and case workers | 9.01% | 1.63% | 6.82% | 13.66% | 5.44% |
| Total | 2.09% | 1.04% | 3.51% | 4.02% | 3.70% |
Source: MOHRI 2022–2026.
Frontline and frontline support roles
Frontline and frontline support roles provide essential support enabling the development and delivery of frontline services, the development and delivery of government policy and programs, as well as outcomes for the community. Examples of these roles include environmental and agricultural science/officers, grants management officers, front counter and customer enquiry employees, mine inspectors, park rangers, policy officers and program managers, school crossing supervisors and social workers.
The number of frontline and frontline support FTE roles increased by 3.16% between March 2025 and March 2026. Over the 5 years to 2026, the number of FTE in these roles grew from 68,886.12 to 82,527.66.
| Frontline/frontline support FTE roles | Mar 2025 | Mar 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Clerical and office support workers (nec) | 1,068.72 | 1,068.15 |
| Commercial cleaner | 4,760.87 | 4,779.74 |
| Gardener (general) | 1,221.91 | 1,232.87 |
| General clerk | 15,965.93 | 16,575.33 |
| Information officer | 1,238.11 | 1,214.55 |
| Labourers (nec) | 3,817.15 | 3,924.86 |
| Office manager | 2,491.16 | 2,533.62 |
| Policy and planning manager | 1,764.70 | 1,811.85 |
| Policy analyst | 1,360.64 | 1,512.26 |
| Program or project administrator | 5,414.81 | 5,473.13 |
| Security officer | 1,190.07 | 1,353.63 |
| Specialist managers (nec) | 1,401.15 | 1,486.23 |
| Waiter | 1,176.48 | 1,230.70 |
| Role category with less than 1000 FTE in role category | 37,131.14 | 38,330.74 |
| Total | 80,002.84 | 82,527.66 |
(nec) – not elsewhere classified.
Source: MOHRI 2025–2026.
| Frontline/frontline support FTE roles | Mar 2022 | Mar 2023 | Mar 2024 | Mar 2025 | Mar 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clerical and office support workers (nec) | 6.26% | -0.05% | |||
| Commercial cleaner | -0.59% | -5.49% | 2.56% | 0.64% | 0.40% |
| Gardener (general) | 0.78% | -0.28% | 1.34% | 1.63% | 0.90% |
| General clerk | 4.96% | -0.77% | 3.59% | 6.68% | 3.82% |
| Information officer | -7.49% | 5.34% | -7.16% | 1.22% | -1.90% |
| Labourers (nec) | 11.27% | 2.44% | 3.21% | 5.59% | 2.82% |
| Office manager | 1.14% | 3.31% | 5.33% | 0.97% | 1.70% |
| Policy and planning manager | 3.37% | 24.88% | 11.36% | 6.85% | 2.67% |
| Policy analyst | 0.11% | 11.12% | 7.42% | 9.45% | 11.14% |
| Program or project administrator | 3.89% | 12.79% | 8.85% | 14.00% | 1.08% |
| Security officer | 0.25% | 8.64% | 8.76% | 13.74 | |
| Specialist managers (nec) | 9.26% | 5.58% | 6.07% | ||
| Waiter | -0.54% | 5.93% | 1.12% | 5.57% | 4.61% |
| Role category with less than 1000 FTE in role category | -1.30% | -2.33% | 4.90% | 9.24% | 3.23% |
| Total | 2.51% | 1.82% | 6.05% | 7.56% | 3.16% |
(nec) – not elsewhere classified.
Source: MOHRI 2022–2026.
Corporate roles
Corporate roles provide organisation-wide support to enable agencies to deliver the Queensland Government’s objectives for the community and frontline services. These roles include employees working in human resource management, accounts and finance, information technology and communications.
The proportion of corporate roles as a percentage of the total workforce has remained relatively stable over the past 5 years. However, there has been a slight increase in corporate FTE roles in the past year to support the growing demands of the sector.
| Corporate service FTE roles | Mar 2025 | Mar 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting and finance | 3,342.42 | 3,175.32 |
| Audit services | 132.77 | 130.75 |
| Communication, media and marketing | 1,260.69 | 1,300.51 |
| Corporate services management | 644.86 | 627.03 |
| Executive services and support | 1,366.16 | 1,382.97 |
| Governance and strategy | 1,566.56 | 1,554.84 |
| Human resources | 5,166.78 | 5,216.97 |
| Information and communications technology | 6,820.20 | 6,847.00 |
| Information management | 1,008.06 | 1,020.97 |
| Legal services | 410.60 | 439.26 |
| Procurement and contract management | 1,391.63 | 1,445.09 |
| Property and facilities | 1,800.02 | 1,803.62 |
| Total | 24,910.75 | 24,944.33 |
Source: MOHRI March 2025–2026.
| Corporate service FTE roles | Mar 2022 | Mar 2023 | Mar 2024 | Mar 2025 | Mar 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accounting and finance | -1.64% | 4.56% | 4.39% | -1.51% | -5.00% |
| Audit services | -0.90% | 3.10% | 2.46% | -57.29% | -1.52% |
| Communication, media and marketing | 0.64% | 11.52% | 5.04% | 0.84% | 3.16% |
| Corporate services management | 62.16% | 29.11% | 53.14% | -6.07% | -2.76% |
| Executive services and support | -0.22% | 26.82% | 9.16% | -3.49% | 1.23% |
| Governance and strategy | 6.48% | 19.82% | 13.02% | 8.86% | -0.75% |
| Human resources | 4.04% | 0.19% | 10.25% | 6.00% | 0.97% |
| Information and communications technology | -1.72% | 17.61% | 10.29% | 7.70% | 0.39% |
| Information management | 1.62% | 8.76% | 8.47% | -1.41% | 1.28% |
| Legal services | -2.34% | 9.18% | 3.12% | -4.60% | 6.98% |
| Procurement and contract management | 0.02% | -6.07% | 0.66% | 8.05% | 3.84% |
| Property and facilities | 6.87% | -4.12% | 11.57% | 10.06% | 0.20% |
| Total | 1.69% | 8.32% | 9.29% | 3.45% | 0.13% |
Source: MOHRI 2022–2026.
Appointment type
The Queensland public sector workforce comprises a mix of permanent, temporary, and casual employees. In March 2026, just over 82.5% of employees are permanently appointed, reflecting the commitment under the Public Sector Act 2022 to maximise employment security and permanency of employment.
| Corporate service FTE roles | March 2025 | March 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent | 224,548.37 | 230,716.36 |
| Temporary | 37,346.05 | 39,161.78 |
| Contract | 2,127.68 | 1,976.05 |
| Casual | 6,861.61 | 7,723.01 |
| Total | 270,883.71 | 279,577.20 |
Source: MOHRI March 2025–2026.
Employment status
The public sector workforce includes full-time, part-time, and casual employees. While most employees are full-time, almost one-third (32.66%) work on a part-time basis. This reflects the need for greater flexibility in employment arrangements.
| Responses | Headcount: Mar 2026 | Headcount: Mar 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time | 203,098 | 197,906 |
| Part-time | 108,862 | 104,439 |
| Casual | 21,369 | 20,255 |
| Total | 333,329 | 322,600 |
Source: MOHRI March 2025–2026.