The data we collect gives us information about the workforce regions for the Public Service and the wider public sector.
Public Service workforce by region
Regional distribution of the Public Service workforce tends to be relatively stable over time, with the largest proportion based in the Wellington region (comprising both regional and head office-based staff). At 43.6%, this is down from 44.5% last year, continuing decreases from a high of 44.9% in 2021.
The remaining 56.4% of the workforce is spread across the other regions (and a small number of overseas staff), led by Auckland (21.3%), Canterbury (10.0%) and Waikato (6.6%). The share of the workforce in Auckland and Canterbury has trended up slightly in recent years while the small increase in Waikato in 2024 follows a slow decline since 2015 when it was 8.4% of the Public Service.
Public Service staff by region
Public sector workforce by region
When we look at all central government, including education and health, the largest proportion of the workforce is in Auckland. Around 122,400 (30.1%) of 407,200 central government employees are in Auckland.