Many people apply for state government jobs for one core reason: job security.
We’ve all had a friend who works somewhere in the public sector and talks about how it’s “impossible” to get rid of someone. This gives you the idea that all government jobs are secure—that if you get in, you’ve got a job for life.
But how true is this perception? I’ve worked in government roles for nearly 20 years. I’m going to share with you the two main ways I’ve seen people lose their “secure” state government job.
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Which State Government Jobs Are Secure?
Some state government jobs are more secure than others. Government agencies offer the full range of employment types, including casual work, temporary contracts, and full-time ongoing positions.
Casual and Temporary State Government Jobs
In 2023, there were over 17,000 casual positions across NSW State Government. These casual positions are the same as casual positions found anywhere else: there’s no guarantee of hours each week and no guarantee of ongoing employment, although casual employees usually get a loading on their hourly rate.
Casual roles in state government can be a great way to get your foot in the door. If you’re early in your career (maybe still completing a TAFE or university qualification), getting a casual role in government can really help. Even if it’s just an admin role, you’ll learn how public sector teams operate, manage, and implement policies, and how they administer their work. This can be a big boost when you’re ready to apply for ongoing state government jobs after you’ve finished your qualification.
The downside? Casual jobs are not secure. If you’re after the stable state government pay day, casual work alone won’t do it. As soon as you land that casual role, start using it to help you get something more stable.
Temporary contracts are also an option. These are usually full-time but only for a set period—like 12 months or until a certain date. Like casual roles, these temp gigs are a great place to build your government experience. They’re often less competitive because some candidates see it as risky to take a 12-month job with no guaranteed future.
But remember, there’s no guarantee these temporary state government jobs will continue. If you want to turn a temp position into an ongoing role, you’ll need to apply separately. State government jobs advertised as temporary must be re-advertised permanently if they’re to be filled ongoing.
Let me give you an example: Mark is working as a Clerk Grade 7/8 when his supervisor Abbey, a Grade 9/10 in the same team, is seconded to a new project for 12 months. Abbey’s role is advertised as a 12-month temporary opportunity; Mark applies and gets it. Ten months later, Abbey finds another permanent job and doesn’t come back. Now her old role needs to be advertised on an ongoing basis, and Mark needs to apply again and be compared to all the other candidates.
It’s the same deal if your position is an actual “temporary” role. To extend it, new funding usually has to be confirmed, especially if it’s tied to a project that has a fixed timeframe. Once the project wraps up, the position usually goes away.
If you want stability, your best bet is to apply for ongoing state government jobs while you’re in a temp role. Work hard, build up great examples for your next government cover letter, and apply for similar roles. There’s never a promise you’ll be made permanent—so put in the work to get there.
Permanent or Ongoing State Government Jobs
Ongoing employment is the classic “stable” job in state government. It’s often called “permanent,” and the name itself implies you’ve basically got a job for life. Remember the 17K casual roles in 2023? Well that compared to over 250,000 staff members with ongoing jobs across NSW the same year.
In recent times, many roles in government have been about as permanent as it gets. When I worked in NSW transport about ten years ago, they removed the “no-forced redundancy” clause. Before that, no one could be made redundant. If train drivers weren’t needed in the future, they were guaranteed a job somewhere else. After removing the clause, it was replaced with a generous payout offer.
Nowadays, most parts of the public sector don’t have that ironclad job guarantee, but redundancies are still uncommon. Why? First of all, in many large sections of government, not every position is filled—Fire and Rescue needs more firefighters, schools need more teachers, hospitals need more nurses. If government wants to make budget cuts, they can just reduce the total number of state government jobs on paper without necessarily laying off current staff. Plus, governments never want to cut ‘front-line’ services. So in many frontline service areas, redundancy is less likely particularly in sections that already carry a large number of vacancies.
How To Lose A State Government Job
Even if you have the classic ongoing state government job, you are not completely immune to being let go.
I’ve seen two key ways that people have lost their job.
Poor Performance and Misconduct in the Public Sector
I’ve personally had to tell people that their ongoing employment was being terminated for misconduct. These cases involved serious issues, where other employees were threatened or put in unsafe situations. That kind of extreme misconduct will definitely cost you your government job.
But let’s be clear—these are not cases of someone just being lazy or not following all the processes. These are serious, obviously unacceptable behaviours.
Poor conduct, like simply not pulling your weight, is far less likely to cost you your job. In my experience, there are plenty of government employees accused of poor performance who remain employed.
This is what leads people to say “it’s impossible to get rid of someone.” And it’s mostly true. It can take a lot of time and effort from management to address poor performance, which is why it rarely gets to the point of someone actually losing their job. But it does happen—just not very often.
Machinery of Government Restructures
Over the last 10 years, I’ve come very close to losing my state government job twice—both times because of large organisational restructures that reduced the number of positions. In each case, I was only a couple of weeks away from potentially not having a role. But at the same time, it’s also true I was never really going to lose a pay-check. Let me explain.
When a big government restructure (or “machinery of government change”) happens, you get lots of notice—months or even years. That’s because reorganising how the entire public service works is a big deal. If your role is likely to be impacted, you’ll see it coming. Morale can suffer a lot during this period: work can slow down, and everyone is worried about their job.
The upside is that you often have time to make a move elsewhere. That’s what I did. When I saw a restructure coming, I took a 12-month temporary role in a different department. While I was there, I heard from my old manager that huge changes were coming and my position might be deleted. Luckily, because of the network and experience I gained, I was able to land a new ongoing role in the new agency. Then I could formally resign from my old role, which helped free up a position that was about to be removed anyway.
Not everyone does this, though. Many of my former colleagues stayed, and some of their roles got changed or deleted. If fewer people are needed, there’s usually a “spill and fill” process: everyone affected re-applies for new or revised positions. Those who get a role stay. Those who don’t end up “displaced.”
When you’re displaced, you don’t immediately stop getting paid. The government tries to find you another role first. Following a large amount of reform in the public sector, I was required (as a hiring manager) to interview displaced employees before advertising any new vacancies. Being displaced is tough—you’re basically in limbo, with your main job now being to look for another position. Mentally, it can be really hard. But it’s obviously better than being out of work entirely.
So, are state government jobs secure? Mostly, yes. Many good performers in government will be able to stay employed for as long as they want without too much effort. Be good at your job and know what to do when there are large restructures, and you’ll keep working.
If you want the stable pay-check and the chance to work in government for decades, steer clear of serious misconduct, do your job well, and keep your eyes open for big restructures. If you see the writing on the wall, use your network and the time you have to move somewhere else within the public sector. That’s how I’ve managed to stay in government for nearly 20 years—and how you can do it, too.
If you want to get into a secure state government job – check out the real government vacancies with example cover letters. Plus, start your application quickly with this free government job cover letter template.
