This page provides information and data on the Local Government sector, which is one component of the Government industry, and covers the operation and service provision of local governing entities in Australia.
There were 190,800 employees in Local Government across Australia at the end of June 2021, in almost 400 occupations. As an employer, Local Government requires a diverse workforce that encompasses a wide range of occupations, requiring a very broad range of skills amongst its personnel. The Local Government sector is a service provider with some sections operating along commercial business lines. While Local Government organisation structures vary, all consist of elected representatives and council staff.
Currently, the sector is comprised of 537 local governments, which vary in geographic area, population and demographic base. All have an important role in providing leadership in community, economic and infrastructure development and a range of services and social functions. Common general functions include:
Of the 537 local governments across Australia: 55% of councils are in regional and remote areas; 68% of the workforce is full-time, 16% is part-time and 16% is employed on a casual basis; and about 45% of employees have a diploma or high-level qualification.
Nationally recognised training for the Local Government sector is delivered under the LGA – Local Government Training Package.
All data sources are available at the end of the page.
Employment levels in the Local Government Administration industry, a good indicator of the employment in the Local Government sector as a whole, increased between 2001 and 2021. This increase was steeper between 2001 and 2007 (including a particularly large rise between 2006 and 2007), with a more modest increase between 2011 and 2021. Employment is projected to increase from 139,900 in 2021 to 152,300 by 2025.
Program enrolments and program completions in Local Government-related qualifications have fluctuated between 2016 and 2020. Program enrolments peaked in 2016 at approximately 1,050 and in 2020 there were around 740. Program completions also peaked in 2016 at approximately 330 and in 2020 there were around 270.
Between 2016 and 2020 the vast majority of Local Government-related subjects were delivered as part of a nationally recognised program. In 2020, less than 1% of Local Government-related subjects were not delivered as part of a nationally recognised program.
In 2020, program enrolments were most common at the certificate IV level (46%), followed by the diploma or higher level (32%) and certificate III level (22%). Program enrolments in Local Government-related qualifications were mainly in the area of regulatory services (41%), followed by general local government and administration (28%) and operational works (22%). The most common intended occupations were Inspectors and Regulatory Officers, Program or Project Administrator, and Earthmoving Plant Operators.
In 2020, the majority of Local Government-related qualifications were delivered by private training providers (52%) and TAFE institutes (45%). Subjects were funded through Commonwealth and state funding (62%) and domestic fee for service (38%).
New South Wales had the single highest proportion of students enrolled in Local Government-related qualifications in 2020, with 28%, followed by Western Australia with 24% and Queensland with 22%. Differences in enrolments by state may be in part due to the different size and roles of Local Government in different areas.
The majority of all training was delivered in New South Wales (29%), followed by Western Australia (25%) and Queensland (22%).
Apprentice and trainee commencements and completions fell overall between 2011 and 2020. Commencements peaked in 2012 at approximately 250 while completions peaked in 2014 at around 210. There were 47 commencements and 49 completions in 2020. The most common intended occupation for apprentices and trainees was Earthmoving Plant Operators. The Northern Territory reported the largest proportion of apprentices and trainees, with 57%, followed by New South Wales with 25%.
For more data specific to your occupation, industry group or training package, visit NCVER's Data Builder.
For more data specific to your region visit NCVER’s Atlas of Total VET.
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The Local Government IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast highlighted the following priority skills for the industry:
In addition, the top generic skills identified for the Local Government industry include:
According to the above Skills Forecast, over half of the Local Government sector workforce was aged over 45 in 2016. There are a number of implications of an ageing workforce that Local Government will need to consider, including:
Efforts to retain the ageing workforce will be important to balance the lack of new entrants to the sector and establish valuable mentoring and training opportunities for new graduates from older and experienced workers.
The Local Government IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast also reveals that similar to other sectors, Local Government is experiencing significant skills shortages. Some reasons for the current skill shortages include:
Local Government services are often subject to regulatory and compliance frameworks specific to an area of service (e.g. rates, urban planning, land management, governance, procurement etc.) and knowledge and skills specific to these framework functions are often missing from technical qualifications.
Lack of access to suitable training and development programs is a key driver behind the skills shortages and gaps reported across the sector. Key concerns regarding training offers include:
Local Government Professionals Australia identified many similar issues in Improving the Capacity of Local Government. Key challenges facing the Local Government workforce include current and emerging skills shortages as well as training delivery and uptake. Specifically, the Local Government workforce is:
Councils in regional areas are particularly disadvantaged, facing additional barriers regarding training opportunities. Releasing staff for training course attendance becomes prohibitive due to small staffing numbers and difficulty in finding local providers to deliver the courses, for example. Sending staff to larger centres and metropolitan areas for training then compounds the issue as the staff need longer periods of time away from the office.
The document proposes a solution for future-proofing the Local Government workforce. Future-proofing would help Local Government to manage its workforce collaboratively and at a regional level, and would help the sector meet its current and future skills needs, provide opportunities to increase individuals' breadth of work experiences, and provide surge capacity and the development of a greater bank of regional talent, particularly developing talent and upskilling in the regions.
The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) published the Closing the Gap Implementation Plan to help councils provide more employment and career opportunities for Indigenous Australians. It sets out actions councils can undertake to meet the priority reforms laid out under the 2020 National Agreement on Closing the Gap. The Implementation Plan will:
The Implementation Plan is about providing local governments with additional tools to embrace collaboration with their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to deliver the Closing the Gap objectives in ways tailored to their individual circumstances and needs. Local governments have advocated strongly for Indigenous opportunity and participation and for Aboriginal community-controlled councils to be recognised nationally. The Implementation Plan will enhance the shared policy development and decision-making at the local government level that is fundamental to support the development of First Nations communities.
For further analysis of skills needs and workforce demand see the Government cluster page.
Below is a list of industry-relevant research, organisations and associations. Hyperlinks have been included where available.
Local Government IRC
2020 National Agreement on Closing the Gap – Coalition of Peaks
ALGA Responds to New Warnings of Growing Climate Change Impacts at the Local Level [media release] – Australian Local Government Association (ALGA)
Clean Jobs for Communities: How Local Governments Can Create Sustainable, Strong Economies – Cities Power Partnership and Climate Council of Australia
Closing the Gap Implementation Plan – Australian Local Government Association (ALGA)
Councils Applaud Stimulus Package for Local Government [media release] – Australian Local Government Association (ALGA)
First Interim Report – Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia. Senate. Select Committee on COVID-19
Improving the Capacity of Local Government – Local Government Professionals Australia
Local Roads and Community Infrastructure (LRCI) Program – Australian Government Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications
Submission to the Select Committee on COVID-19 – Australian Local Government Association (ALGA)
Australian Local Government Association (ALGA)
Australian Public Service Commission (APSC)
Environmental Health Australia (EHA)
Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA)
Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ)
Local Government Association of South Australia
Local Government Association of the Northern Territory (LGANT)
Local Government Association Tasmania (LGAT)
Local Government New South Wales (LGNSW)
Local Government Professionals Australia
Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV)
Planning Institute of Australia (PIA)
Victorian Local Governance Association (VLGA)
Western Australian Local Government Association (WALGA)
Australian Capital Territory Government
Government of South Australia Office of Local Government
Government of Western Australia Department of Communities
Government of Western Australia Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries
New South Wales Government Office of Local Government
Northern Territory Government Department of the Chief Minister and Cabinet (formerly Department of Local Government, Housing and Community Development)
Queensland Government Department of Local Government, Racing and Multicultural Affairs
Australian Services Union (ASU)
Australian Workers’ Union (AWU)
Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU)
Professionals Australia – Local Government Engineers’ Association (LGEA)
Department of Employment 2021, Employment Projections, available from the Labour Market Information Portal
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021, 6291.0.55.001 - EQ06 - Employed persons by Industry group of main job (ANZSIC), Sex, State and Territory, November 1984 onwards, viewed 1 August 2021, https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/labour-force-australia-detailed/may-2021
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2017, 2016 Census – employment, income and unpaid work, TableBuilder. Findings based on use of ABS TableBuilder data.
Training data has been extracted from the National VET Provider Collection, Total VET students and courses from the following training package or qualifications:
This includes superseded qualifications and training packages.
Data covers a range of selected student and training characteristics in the following categories and years:
Total VET students and courses data is reported for the calendar year. Program enrolments are the qualifications, courses and skill-sets in which students are enrolled in a given period. For students enrolled in multiple programs, all programs are counted. Program completion indicates that a student has completed a structured and integrated program of education or training. Location data uses student residence. Subject enrolment is registration of a student at a training delivery location for the purpose of undertaking a module, unit of competency or subject. For more information on the terms and definitions, please refer to the Total VET students and courses: terms and definitions document.
Low counts (less than 5) are not reported to protect client confidentiality.
Percentages are rounded to one decimal place. This can lead to situations where the total sum of proportions in a chart may not add up to exactly 100%.
LGA Local Government Training Package apprentice and trainee data has been extracted from the National Apprentice and Trainee Collection, including:
