Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
Employment and Workplace Relations portfolio
Verified figures
- Contracts (all years): 9,324
- Contract value (all years): 16,935,142,458 AUD
- Contract value (2026): 1,028,330,894 AUD
- APS headcount: 4,397
- Budget 2026-27: 5,594,831 thousand AUD
- Highest total remuneration: 1,010,800 AUD
- Directory roles: 132
Figures use publishable matches only (alias, abn, exact, case, punct, trading_name, wide_exact). Retrieved 2026-09-01.
Coverage — named in the headline (38)
- 2026-06-08 — Employment services providers submit AI plans to DEWR
- 2026-06-02 — DEWR details ‘forward leaning’ AI policy
- 2026-02-11 — DEWR dodges questions on secretary’s dismissal
- 2026-02-05 — New secretary Duggan accepts the DEWR challenge
- 2025-12-17 — How the DEWR vs Deloitte AI battle unfolded
- 2025-12-16 — Natalie James’ term at DEWR in review
- 2025-12-16 — Department of Employment and Workplace Relations boss out
- 2025-12-02 — Natalie James: Department of Employment and Workplace Relations secretary
- 2025-08-12 — ANAO tells DEWR to fix ethical compliance reporting
- 2025-08-06 — Ombud gives DEWR, Services Australia a booting
- 2025-03-05 — Sticky Notes: Natalie James, Department of Employment and Workplace Relations secretary
- 2025-02-26 — DEWR secretary apologises for support-payment cancellations
- 2025-02-04 — Ombud launches investigation into Services Australia and DEWR
- 2024-11-18 — Natalie James: Employment and Workplace Relations
- 2024-05-20 — Skills Guarantee procurement guide released by DEWR
- 2024-03-26 — Tax, DEWR, DVA warned not to create robodebt 2.0
- 2023-12-05 — DEWR contact centre staff call out poor conditions
- 2023-11-05 — Natalie James: Employment and Workplace Relations
- 2023-11-01 — Strikes hit DEWR and Fair Work ombud
- 2023-10-27 — DEWR staff to strike over poor pay deal
- 2023-10-10 — Got wonk? Leigh tells DEWR to flip the counterfactual coin for policy evidence
- 2023-10-05 — DEWR staff prepare to strike as APS pay row escalates
- 2023-08-20 — Commonwealth Employment Service resurrection approved at Labor conference
- 2023-08-06 — Tripartism is cool again, says DEWR secretary Natalie James
- 2023-07-27 — CPSU escalates demand to restore Commonwealth Employment Service
- 2023-07-09 — Audit office to test ethical frameworks at ATO and DEWR
- 2023-06-19 — Albanese told to restore outsourced Commonwealth Employment Service
- 2023-04-27 — Movers & Shakers: New dep secs at DEWR and Education
- 2023-03-07 — DEWR and AEC $149m offices approved by committee
- 2023-02-20 — Employment chief espouses benefits of chilling out
- 2022-11-14 — Natalie James names Employment and Workplace Relations leadership team
- 2022-07-17 — New DEWR sec wants working for her department to be the best job in the country
- 2022-06-24 — Incoming DEWR sec called flexible work a ‘baseline’ expectation
- 2021-10-27 — eBook: Peoplebank Salary & Employment Index
- 2019-01-21 — Employment services review argues licensing can bring providers to heel
- 2018-07-11 — In conversation with Erma Ranieri, South Australia’s Commissioner for Public Sector Employment
- 2015-02-05 — Leon on Employment, shared services and work flexibility
- 2014-11-24 — Employment Department takes staff views in decision on cuts
Passing mentions (10 shown)
Mentioned in the text but not the headline, so often not about this agency.
- 2026-08-20 — The history of Australian infrastructure: Delivery (2005-2025)
- 2026-08-19 — Power brokers talk AI, skills, and productivity for Australia
- 2026-08-13 — ABS: Gender pay gap reaches record low
- 2026-08-09 — ATO staff most unhappy over wages
- 2026-08-09 — APSC confirms below-inflation payrise last year
- 2026-08-06 — Movers & Shakers: Bumper Band 1 week
- 2026-08-06 — Strategic imagination: Leading government in the age of AI
- 2026-07-28 — Former secretary speaks about APS antisemitism
- 2026-07-13 — Defence secretary selection no captain’s pick, documents reveal
- 2026-07-12 — Ghost Bat live run, followed by Chinese missile launch
Names over time
What each source called this agency, and in which years. Taken from the sources themselves, not from a register of establishment dates — those are not published.
| Reported as | Source | Years | Rows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment ⚠️ | APSC APS Employment Data | 2013-14 to 2016-17 | 1,060 |
| Employment ⚠️ | APSC agency metrics | 2013-14 to 2016-17 | 29 |
| Department of Employment and Workplace Relations | AusTender (names as at today, not as at the contract) | 2017-18 to 2026-27 | 9,324 |
| Department of Employment and Workplace Relations | Annual report KMP disclosure | 2022-23 to 2024-25 | 35 |
| Department of Employment and Workplace Relations | Annual report governance tables | 2022-23 to 2024-25 | 20 |
| Department of Employment and Workplace Relations | Annual report expenditure | 2022-23 to 2024-25 | 28 |
| Employment and Workplace Relations ⚠️ | APSC APS Employment Data | 2022-23 to 2025-26 | 752 |
| Employment and Workplace Relations ⚠️ | APSC agency metrics | 2022-23 to 2025-26 | 93 |
| Department of Employment and Workplace Relations | Portfolio Budget Statements | 2024-25 to 2029-30 | 230 |
⚠️ This agency has not always carried its current name. Figures in the earlier years were reported as Employment (2013-14 to 2016-17); Employment and Workplace Relations (2022-23 to 2025-26). They are shown here because the series is continuous, not because the agency is.
Payments to organisations — as reported by the agency
| Category | Payments | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Non-consultancy contracts | 15 | $1,599,779 |
| Consultancy | 13 | $9,644 |
Largest recipients across all reported years
| Organisation | ABN | Reported total | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serendipity (WA) Pty Ltd | 64062160614 | $594,817 | 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25 |
| Workskil Australia Ltd (+1 other name(s) on this ABN) | 28167872424 | $307,863 | 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25 |
| atWork Australia Ltd (+1 other name(s) on this ABN) | 29009452153 | $250,359 | 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25 |
| Asuria People Services Pty Ltd (+1 other name(s) on this ABN) | 81132914633 | $167,713 | 2023-24, 2024-25 |
| Max Solutions Pty Ltd | 51067092737 | $140,916 | 2022-23, 2023-24 |
| Karingal St Laurence Ltd | 74614366031 | $71,827 | 2022-23 |
| Job Futures Ltd | 13080037538 | $66,284 | 2024-25 |
| Ernst and Young | 75288172749 | $2,434 | 2022-23 |
| Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu | 74490121060 | $2,148 | 2023-24, 2024-25 |
| The Trustee for Dandolo Partners Unit Trust | 48757017061 | $1,498 | 2023-24, 2024-25 |
| Scyne Advisory Pty Ltd (+1 other name(s) on this ABN) | 20607773295 | $1,152 | 2022-23, 2023-24 |
| NOUS Group Pty Ltd | 66086210344 | $940 | 2023-24, 2024-25 |
From the expenditure disclosures in each annual report — a separate source from the AusTender contract figures above, and not directly comparable with them.
Workforce profile — as at 2025-12-31
| Measure | Value | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| % CALD | 26.6% | at this date |
| % Female | 60.7% | at this date |
| % Indigenous | 3.0% | at this date |
| % at the APS classification level | 57.7% | at this date |
| % non-ongoing | 3.5% | at this date |
| % part-time (ongoing employees) | 11.9% | at this date |
| % who have worked in only one agency (ongoing employees) | 46.8% | at this date |
| % with a bachelors degree or higher | 63.3% | at this date |
| % with a disability | 6.0% | at this date |
| Exit rate - from agency (ongoing employees) | 10.1% | Year ending December 2025 |
| Headcount | 4,397 | at this date |
| Mean Age (years) | 42.2 years | at this date |
| Median LOS in APS (years) | 7.9 years | at this date |
| Separation rate - from APS (ongoing employees) | 5.6% | at this date |
APSC APS Employment Data, counting this agency including any bodies beneath it. Headcount, not FTE — the APSED release does not publish FTE.
Bodies beneath this agency — as at 2025-12-31
Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency · Australian Skills Quality Authority · Comcare · Fair Work Commission · Office of the Fair Work Ombudsman · Safe Work Australia
From the APSC sub-agency breakdown. A body listed here is counted inside the workforce profile above, so do not add the two.
Year by year
| Measure | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APS headcount | 1,839 | 1,867 | 2,001 | 2,095 | 3,497 | 4,295 | 4,426 | 4,397 | |||||
| SES | 71 | 77 | 93 | 36 | 38 | 40 | 37 | ||||||
| Contracts | 1 | 690 | 1,533 | 1,926 | 1,454 | 1,744 | 981 | 762 | 233 | ||||
| Contract value | $1,032,837 | $1,845,224,691 | $918,782,285 | $3,562,167,809 | $6,402,226,487 | $1,748,460,705 | $1,238,141,755 | $277,238,775 | $941,867,114 | ||||
| Budget ($000) | 2,528,087 | 5,594,831 | |||||||||||
| KMP disclosed | 14 | 14 | 5 | ||||||||||
| Top total pay | $852,473 | $967,657 | $1,010,800 |
An empty cell means no publishable row for that year — unknown, not nil. Never read a blank as a fall to zero. ⚠️ This agency has not always carried its current name. Figures in the earlier years were reported as Employment (2013-14 to 2016-17); Employment and Workplace Relations (2022-23 to 2025-26). They are shown here because the series is continuous, not because the agency is.
Sources — annual reports
Each link opens transparency.gov.au — the published source the figures were read from. The label names the table to look for.
| Year | Report | Tables |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | Annual report (no portal path on record) | — |
| 2023-24 | Annual report | Audit committee nce · Accountable authority nce · Remuneration senior executives nce · Remuneration high paid staff nce · Remuneration for key management personnel nc |
| 2022-23 | Annual report | Audit committee nce · Accountable authority nce · Remuneration senior executives nce · Remuneration high paid staff nce · Remuneration for key management personnel nc |
