Data sources, conventions and limitations

Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (Australian Bureau of Statistics, catalogue number 1220.0). ANZSCO is a skill-based classification used to classify all occupations and jobs in the Australian and New Zealand labour markets.

ANZSCO has 5 hierarchical levels, which are as follows from high to low: major group, sub-major group, minor group, unit group and occupation. This report uses ANZSCO major group, ANZSCO minor group and occupation when analysing occupations in the workforce profile data. 

ANZSCO organises occupations into progressively larger groups based on their similarities in terms of skill level and specialisation. The ‘major group’ level provides only a broad indication of skill. 

Major groups are:

• the broadest level of ANZSCO
• formed using a combination of skill level and specialisation to create groups that are meaningful and useful for most (statistical and administrative) purposes.

• subdivisions of the ‘sub-major group’ classification
• mainly distinguished from other minor groups in the same sub-major group based on skill specialisation.

Diversity estimates are calculated if the diversity response rate threshold of 65% is met. Where response rates are below the threshold, actual rates are reported.

The estimate is calculated by taking the number of diversity group members divided by the number of respondents to at least one diversity question in any given year and then multiplying by the total number of employees. For this reason, estimates are always higher than actual rates.

• ongoing – employed on a continuing basis to perform ongoing functions
• temporary – non-casual employees who do not have ongoing conditions of employment or individual employment contracts, and who are employed for a specific period
• casual – employees engaged to perform work ‘as required’ and who are paid at an hourly rate equal to the relevant classification of the position, with a loading
• executive – includes Public Service senior executives employed under contracts starting before the implementation of the Government Sector Employment Act 2013 (GSE Act); senior executives employed under Division 4 of Part 4 of the GSE Act; and other public sector senior executives under contract arrangements, including Health, Transport and Police executives. 
• contract – employees (non-executive) who are employed via a fixed-term individual contract. Excludes contractors and consultants engaged on a fee for service basis 
• other – all other employment categories including cadets, trainees, apprentices, retained staff, sessional workers, seasonal workers and statutory appointees.

• Audit Office 
• Independent Commission Against Corruption
• Judicial Commission
• Judicial Officers
• Parliament of NSW.

A standardised way of describing the size of the workforce based on the total number of ordinary time paid hours worked (excluding overtime and unpaid work). ‘FTE workforce’ describes the total number of full-time employees required to account for all ordinary time paid hours worked. It is not a count of the number of employees. For example, 2 employees who both work half the standard number of full-time hours will together be counted as one FTE employee.

The FTE workforce can be measured during a period, such as the last pay period of the financial year (census period).

Since the same method of counting can be applied to each agency, FTE staffing figures provide the most accurate indication of resource levels within the NSW public sector.

Total number of employees at a given time. 

Employees with multiple periods of employment in a single agency during the year are counted only once by most agencies. However, the payroll systems used by some agencies do not link employment periods, so these agencies report each period of employment as a separate employee. Employees with periods of employment in different agencies during the year are counted as separate employees in each agency. In the health service, this also applies to employees working in more than one Local Health District.

Headcount includes all employees who worked during a period, even if they only worked for one day. Total employees (headcount) figures and full-time equivalent (FTE) figures are both reported because they provide different perspectives on the workforce. FTE translates the headcount figures into a proportion of the hours worked by an FTE staff member. For example, a person working one day per week would be counted as 1.0 under the headcount and 0.2 under FTE (that is, they work 20% of the time that a full-time employee works). Headcount figures therefore provide a picture of how many people were employed during the period, whereas FTE is a more accurate indicator of resource levels.

• worked for one hour or more for pay, profit, commission or payment in kind in a job or business, or on a farm (comprising employees, employers and own account workers) 
• worked for one hour or more without pay in a family business or on a farm (that is, contributing family workers) 
• were employees who had a job but were not at work and were: 
  • away from work for less than 4 weeks up to the end of the reference week 
  • away from work for more than 4 weeks up to the end of the reference week and received pay for some or all of the 4-week period to the end of the reference week 
  • away from work as a standard work or shift arrangement
  • on strike or locked out 
  • on workers’ compensation and expected to return to their job
  • were employers or own account workers, who had a job, business or farm, but were not at work.

• a long-term medical condition or ailment
• speech difficulties in their native language
• a disfigurement or deformity
• a psychiatric condition
• a head injury, stroke or any other brain damage
• loss of sight or hearing
• incomplete use of any part of their body
• blackouts, fits or loss of consciousness
• restriction in physical activities or physical work
• slowness at learning or understanding
• any other condition resulting in a restriction.