Most of the national digital talent is not in Canberra

Canberra-centric hiring is driving up digital talent costs.

The APS is creating an internal talent war, increasing competition and cost. Nearly 60% of the digital talent in the APS is Canberra- based,1 whereas only 4.8% of national talent is in Canberra.2 This significant imbalance drives up costs and limits workforce availability, necessitating a strategic shift to ensure the APS remains competitive and capable of attracting toptier talent, while not overpaying by national standards.

APS continues to miss out on a wider pool of talent

Limited local supply forces the APS to compete fiercely for a small pool of professionals. A cyber security analyst in Canberra typically earns $140k,3 whereas an APS cyber security analyst salary is typically just over $100k.3 Contractor rates are generally higher within the ACT, which offers an opportunity for the APS to leverage savings by looking outside the ACT.

Figure 1: Remuneration Disparity – APS vs. ACT vs. Australian Median

Chart showing that ACT ICT salaries are above the Australian median and APS ICT salaries are below for all but two roles.
Hays 23/24 Salary Guide, APS Remuneration Data

  • Figure 1: Data table

Breaking the Canberra bottleneck requires a digital location strategy

To address these challenges, the APS will need to exploit regional salary differences and embrace contemporary work arrangements like remote work. Despite many roles being location-flexible, 40% of APS job ads remain ACT-exclusive.4 By diversifying job advertisements and promoting remote work, the APS can enhance its Employee Value Proposition and attract talent from across Australia.
A digital-focused location strategy, aligned with the APS Location Framework Principles, could guide when to offer remote work versus cluster talent. Clustering has proved effective both globally (Silicon Valley) and locally in foster digital expertise, driving innovation, and address high-security role challenges.

  • Questions for agency consideration:

  • Exploring whole-of-APS opportunities:

Case Study 3: APS Academy Campus

The APS Academy Campuses are a pilot program, established by the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) in partnership with regional universities. The APS Academy Campus program aims to increase data and digital professionals within the APS by leveraging talent and capability in regional Australia. They enable students or career changers in regional areas to develop skills across in-demand data and digital fields without having to leave their community, achieved through academic and on the job APS experience. The program is currently being implemented in partnership with two regional universities: • The University of Newcastle located in Newcastle, NSW • James Cook University located in Townsville, QLD. 15 agencies have employed 60 data and digital participants since the Campuses opened in 2023, recording high satisfaction from participants and supervisors. Campuses are attracting untapped talent in regional locations, with 41% of participants saying they would not have considered an APS career without the campuses. There are high completion rates, and 24 of 27 participants who have finished remain employed with the APS in data and digital roles.

Case Study 6: Australian Bureau of Statistics Location Strategy

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) demonstrates what can happen when an agency embraces flexibility in location. Over the last 10 years, the ABS has focussed on tapping into the technical talent pool outside of Canberra to ensure location is not a barrier to attracting ICT staff. This has resulted in substantial technical workforces based in jurisdictional offices. Today, the ABS operates with 70% of their digital workforce outside Canberra and have a general expectation that people will be in an office 40% of the time, encouraging them to be located within commuting distance of an office. Each jurisdictional office generally manages a primary area of focus, such as economic household statistics, but the ABS works to a general rule of seeking the right person for a role, independent of location.

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  1. Australian Public Service Commission, APS Employment Database custom request RFI 2086, June 2024
  2. Australian Bureau of Statistics, Labour Force, Australia, Detailed (EQ8), November 2024
  3. Hays Australia, Hays 2023/24 Salary Guide, 2024
  4. Australian Public Service Commission, Remuneration Data customer request RFI 3107, 2025
  5. Australian Public Service Commission, APSjobs vacancies 23/24FY custom request, 2024