Are soft public-sector jobs just another form of welfare? - The Australian

AT the time of the 2011 census the Australian workforce was divided between those who worked for the private sector and those who worked for the public sector, meaning the federal, state or local governments.

At the broadest level, 1.572 million workers, or 16 per cent of the Australian workforce, worked for the public sector. This number was up 17 per cent on the 2006 figure, whereas private sector employment was up 9 per cent.