The Local Government IRC was not required to submit an annual update to their 2019 Skills Forecast during 2020. As such, the version published in 2019 remains the most recently published Skills Forecast for this industry.
Local Government IRC’s
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Click Here to see all results.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.
Local Government nationally employs over 187,500 people. 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. Local Government organisation structures vary, however, all consist of elected representatives and council staff.
Currently, the sector is comprised of 537 local governments across Australia, 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:
Nationally recognised training for the Local Government sector is delivered under the LGA – Local Government Training Package.
Information sourced from the most recently available Skills Forecast, the Local Government IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast.
All data sources are available at the end of the page.
The Local Government IRC was not required to submit an annual update to their 2019 Skills Forecast during 2020. As such, the version published in 2019 remains the most recently published Skills Forecast for this industry.
Local Government IRC’s
Please note: any employment projections outlined below were calculated by the Australian Bureau of Statistics prior to COVID-19.
Employment levels in the Local Government Administration industry, a good indicator of the employment in the Local Government sector as a whole, increased between 2000 and 2020. This increase was steeper between 2000 and 2007 (including a particularly large rise between 2006 and 2007), with a more modest increase between 2010 and 2020. Employment is projected to increase from 136,100 in 2020 to 147,000 by 2024.
Program enrolments in Local Government-related qualifications have fluctuated between 2015 and 2019. Enrolments peaked in 2016 at approximately 1,050 and in 2019 there were approximately 940 enrolments. Program completions declined from the peak of almost 360 in 2015 to around 230 in 2018 before rising slightly to roughly 280 in 2019.
Between 2015 and 2019 the majority of Local Government-related subjects were delivered as part of a nationally recognised program. In 2019, less than 4 per cent of Local Government-related subjects were not delivered as part of a nationally recognised program.
Program enrolments were most common at the certificate IV and diploma or higher levels in 2019, while few enrolments were seen at the certificate I or II levels. A large number of enrolments in Local Government-related qualifications were in the area of regulatory services, followed by general local government and administration, and operational works. The most common intended occupations for Local Government-related qualifications were Inspectors and Regulatory Officers and Program or Project Administrator.
In 2019, 62% of Local Government-related qualifications were delivered by private training providers. This trend was strongly the case for all qualifications other than those in the area of regulatory services, where TAFE institutes delivered the majority of qualifications (84%). Subjects in Local Government-related qualifications were funded through Commonwealth and state funding (56%) and domestic fee for service (44%).
New South Wales had the single highest proportion of students enrolled in Local Government-related qualifications in 2019, with 29%, followed by Western Australia with 26% and Queensland with 20%. Differences in enrolments by state may be in part due to the different size and roles of Local Government in different areas.
Almost a third of all training was delivered in New South Wales (31%), followed by Western Australia (26%) and Queensland (19%).
Apprentice and trainee commencements and completions fell overall between 2010 and 2019. Commencements peaked in 2012 at roughly 250 while completions peaked in 2010 at around 270. There were approximately 70 commencements and around 50 completions in 2019. The most common intended occupation for apprentices and trainees in this sector in 2019 was Earthmoving Plant Operators. The Northern Territory reported the largest proportion of apprentices and trainees, with 44%, followed by New South Wales with 38%.
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The Local Government IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast suggests the top priority skills for the Local Government sector are all soft skills, ranging from teamwork and communication through to flexibility and emotional intelligence. The top four generic skills also focus on soft skills. Technology is rated as the fifth most important generic skill for the sector.
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:
In the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) report Local Government Workforce and Future Skills Report Australia, a significant proportion of surveyed local governments identified the need to improve their workforce in all 10 of the soft skills listed below:
In order to address these emerging skills gaps, local governments will be mainly looking to upskill existing staff. To a lesser extent they will look to use shared service arrangements to address these gaps, particularly in the digital skills area.
The ALGA also produced a detailed ‘Local Government Workforce and Future Skills Report’ for New South Wales, Northern Territory, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia.
The South Australian Training and Skills Commission (TASC) report Local Government Workforce Insights, examines the training and skills needs of the state's current and future Local Government workforce. Key findings include:
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.
Customer and Technology Transformation in Local Government – KPMG and Public Sector Network
Local Government Workforce and Future Skills Report Australia – Australian Local Government Association (ALGA)
Local Government Workforce and Future Skills Report New South Wales – Australian Local Government Association (ALGA)
Local Government Workforce and Future Skills Report Northern Territory – Australian Local Government Association (ALGA)
Local Government Workforce and Future Skills Report Tasmania – Australian Local Government Association (ALGA)
Local Government Workforce and Future Skills Report Victoria – Australian Local Government Association (ALGA)
Local Government Workforce and Future Skills Report Western Australia – Australian Local Government Association (ALGA)
Local Government Workforce Insights – South Australian Training and Skills Commission (TASC)
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 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 2020, Employment Projections, available from the Labour Market Information Portal
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2020, Employed persons by industry group of main job (ANZSIC), Sex, State and Territory, November 1984 onwards, 6291.0.55.003 - EQ06, viewed 1 August 2020 https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/6291.0.55.003May%202020?OpenDocument
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:
Priority skills data have been extracted from the Local Government IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast.