APS Staffing And Wages February 2026 Additional Estimates Brief

Written by Claude Haiku 4.5 from the extracted text on 16 May 2026. It can miss or misread redacted and scanned pages. Check the source before relying on it.

The Department of Finance released a staffing and wages estimates brief for February 2026 Additional Estimates. The Australian Public Service workforce has grown significantly, with Average Staffing Level (ASL) reaching 213,349 in 2025-26—an increase of 39,791 positions since the 2022-23 baseline, including 11,802 external labour roles converted to permanent APS positions. Total employee expenses (excluding superannuation) are projected at $46.137 billion for 2025-26, comprising $31.147 billion in wages and salaries, plus $14.990 billion in other operating expenses including leave entitlements, worker compensation, and redundancies. The brief notes that reliable forecasting of future APS workforce size is difficult as it depends on unmade government decisions. Employee expenses are expected to decline to $43.693 billion in 2026-27 before rising to $47.713 billion by 2028-29.