More than 300 industrial instruments determine remuneration in the NSW public sector. Remuneration data is reported as the total annual base full-time salary, and excludes other payments such as allowances, penalty rates and superannuation. Many employees in the NSW public sector are paid within a salary band or range that includes an annual increment, subject to meeting certain performance standards.
Median remuneration
$92,236
+2.0% vs 2021
All employees
$96,540
+2.4% vs 2021
Male
$92,236
+2.0% vs 2021
Female
Median remuneration for non-casual employees in the NSW public sector was $92,236 in 2022, an increase of 2.0% from 2021. The NSW Government wages policy provided for annual increases of up to 2.04% in 2022.1 This was below the increase in Sydney’s Consumer Price Index (5.3%)2, but was slightly higher than the growth in average full-time weekly earnings in Australia (1.9%).3 Figure 9.1 shows that the median salary in the public sector increased steadily over the past decade, in accordance with wages policy.
Within the government sector, the Transport Service had the highest median remuneration in 2022 (see Table 9.1). In contrast, other Crown services had the lowest median remuneration, consistent with previous years. This largely relates to School Support Staff, which constituted 53.4.% of other Crown services in 2022 and had a median salary of $57,818. Most of these employees were Education Aides (59.6%) or General Clerks (40.4%).
Table 9.1: Median remuneration of non-casual employees at census date, by service, 2021 to 2022
| Service | 2021 ($) | 2022 ($) | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public Service | 94,610 | 96,540 | 2.0 |
| NSW Health Service | 90,062 | 91,899 | 2.0 |
| NSW Police Force | 96,332 | 98,287 | 2.0 |
| Teaching Service | 107,779 | 109,978 | 2.0 |
| Transport Service | 102,098 | 127,648 | 25.0 |
| Other Crown services | 62,079 | 62,078 | 0.0 |
| Total government sector | 90,394 | 92,236 | 2.0 |
| State owned corporations | 104,443 | 105,215 | 0.7 |
| External to government sector | 125,537 | 131,653 | 4.9 |
| Total public sector | 90,394 | 92,236 | 2.0 |
In 2022, the Transport Service had the largest increase in median remuneration, at 25.0%. One factor contributing to this change was the privatisation of the State Transit Authority, where 2,659 bus drivers separated with a median remuneration of $61,157. Another factor was the increase in employees paid in the upper salary ranges, with 312 employees who commenced in Sydney Metro in 2022 bring paid above the Transport Service median.
Notes
1 Department of Premier and Cabinet (2021), ‘C2021-15 Crown Employees (Public Sector- Salaries 2021) Award’, accessed 12 October 2022.
2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (June 2022), Consumer Price Index, Australia, cat. No. 6302.0, accessed 5 October 2022.
3 Based on full-time adult average weekly ordinary time earnings in Australia; Australian Bureau of Statistics (May 2022), Average Weekly Earnings, Australia, ‘Table 1. Average weekly earnings, key statistics’, cat. no. 6302.0, accessed 5 October 2022.
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Chapter 10
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