Chapter 2: Statistical snapshot
Demography of the SES leadership group
The SES constitutes the senior management and leadership group of the APS, comprising 1.6% of total ongoing APS employment at 30 June 2003, a slight rise on the figure for 2002 (1.5%).10 , The size of the SES has fluctuated slightly over the past decade, decreasing from 1777 in 1994 to 1543 in 1998, but returning to 1730 by 2002, and increasing over the last year to 1872 in 2003. Band 1 executives make up the largest proportion at 74.4% of all SES employees. Band 2 executives comprise 20.5%, and Band 3 5.1%.
The proportion of women in the SES has increased steadily over the last decade from 17.1% in 1994 to 30.4% at June 2003. Women are more likely than men to be at Band 1 of the SES (81.2% of all women in the SES compared with 71.4% of all men) and less likely to be at Band 2 and 3 of the SES (15.8% and 3.0% compared with 22.6% and 6.1%). Put another way, women comprise 33.3% of Band 1s, 23.4% of Band 2s and 17.7% of Band 3s.
Figure 2.21 indicates the changing age profile for the SES as a whole. The shift of the age profile between 1994 and 2003 indicates an ageing of the SES workforce. Since 1994 the proportion of SES employees aged less than 45 has fallen from 36.4% to 31.6%.
Figure 2.21: Changing age profile for ongoing SES, 1994 and 2003
Source: APSED
The age profile for female SES is younger than for male SES: 40.9% of female SES are less than 45, compared with 27.5% of male SES.
Table 2.3 indicates that the 45–49 and 50–54 age groups are the most populous for Band 1 and Band 2, with over half the SES in these two bands (53.0%) in this age range. The age profile for Band 3 SES is older, with the 50–54 and 55–59 age ranges being the most populous (64.6% of SES at this level). This is a change from 2002, when the most populous age ranges for Band 3 were 45–49 and 50–54 (61.9% of Band 3 staff).
Currently 57 SES employees (3.0% of the SES) are aged over 60 years and 43 (2.3%) are aged less than 35 years. However, the youngest age group for Band 3 employees is 40–44 years, with 9.4% of total Band 3 employees in this age group.
Table 2.3: SES by age group, gender and classification at 30 June 2003
| Age in years | Band 1 | Band 2 | Band 3 | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M | F | Total | M | F | Total | M | F | Total | % | ||
| <30 | 2 | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | 0.1 |
| 30–34 | 21 | 19 | 40 | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | - | 41 | 2.2 |
| 35–39 | 89 | 64 | 153 | 4 | 4 | 8 | - | - | - | 161 | 8.6 |
| 40–44 | 192 | 124 | 316 | 42 | 20 | 62 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 387 | 20.7 |
| 45–49 | 241 | 123 | 364 | 73 | 31 | 104 | 12 | 6 | 18 | 486 | 26.0 |
| 50–54 | 255 | 100 | 355 | 92 | 26 | 118 | 34 | 6 | 40 | 513 | 27.4 |
| 55–59 | 103 | 31 | 134 | 60 | 9 | 69 | 19 | 3 | 22 | 225 | 12.0 |
| 60 & over | 26 | 2 | 28 | 22 | - | 22 | 7 | - | 7 | 57 | 3.0 |
| Total | 929 | 463 | 1392 | 294 | 90 | 384 | 79 | 17 | 96 | 1872 | 100.0 |
Source: APSED
10 Data for the SES include employees grouped with the equivalent SES bands under the Public Service Classification Rules 2000. Data also include inoperative SES.