Australia’s other government funded job boom

Friday 20 February 2026

The boom in government-funded, non-market sector jobs, defined as jobs in the public service, healthcare & social assistance, and education, is well documented.

The non-market sector comprises only 31.5% of total Australian jobs, according to CBA:

However, as Alex Joiner, chief economist at IFM Investors, shows below, of the 926,425 jobs created between Q1 2023 and Q3 2025, 637,273 (69%) were in the non-market sector, which is primarily government-funded.

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About the author

Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.