Mature and Young People Working in the NSW Public Sector

The NSW public sector has a higher proportion of employees aged 35–64 than the NSW labour force on average and a smaller proportion of employees under 35 years, especially in the 16–24 year age bracket.

Given our age profile, we need to continually renew our workforce by attracting young people and people from outside the sector. We also need to increase the participation of under-employed groups in the community, including mature
workers and workers with carer responsibilities.

As a complicating factor to the skills shortage, we face the loss of a significant body of knowledge, skill and expertise as large groups of employees move towards retirement. To retain employees who have valuable skills we need to consider flexible work arrangements and opportunities for phased retirement. This will allow us to access valuable skills and knowledge to help build a skill base in younger employees.