Raraunga Ohumahi - Ta te rāngai tūmatanui hanga Workforce data - Public sector composition

As at 30 June 2024, there were the equivalent of 63,537 full-time public servants working in New Zealand across a wide range of occupations. These public servants deliver high-quality services, while implementing Government priorities. Just under half work in the Wellington region, with 56% spread across the rest of the country.

The Public Service workforce increased by 421 full-time equivalent roles (or 0.7%) in 2024, following growth of 4.5% in 2023. This represents a decrease of 2,162 FTE (or -3.3%) since a peak of 65,699 in December 2023. Contributing to this small annual growth was increases in workforces delivering frontline services, while other agencies refocused their workforce to deliver on Government priorities. While the net growth was small, there have been significant changes across occupational groups with a focus on back-office efficiencies without impacting front line service delivery.

The growth in 2024 is considerably below that seen across the five preceding years (2018 to 2023), when the average annual increase was 4.9%. Labour market conditions have eased in the past financial year, with many agencies closing vacancies, fewer agencies seeking to recruit, and most experiencing less difficulty recruiting when they are required to do so. Easing labour market pressures can also be seen in the growth of the Public Service workforce through the first half of 2024 and falling unplanned turnover.

Find more information about unplanned turnover in Workforce Data — Wellbeing at work.

Find more information about contractor and consultant expenditure in Workforce Data — Workforce size.