Chapter 2: Statistical snapshot

Diversity trends

Workplace diversity is a major contribution to capability in the APS as well as being important to equity in employment. Trends in diversity, in terms of gender, race and ethnicity, Indigenous status or having a disability, are particularly relevant to monitoring employment-related disadvantage. Apart from gender, statistics on these areas of workplace diversity are dependent upon staff identifying themselves as belonging to these groups.

Women represented 53.7% of total staff at June 2003, a slight increase from 52.8% last year. As shown in Figure 2.2, the proportion of staff in each of the other diversity groups declined slightly during 2002–03. The actual number of employees increased in all groups; however, their growth was not as large as that of the APS overall, so their proportional representation decreased. The number of ongoing employees who identified themselves as Indigenous rose from 2799 to 2879; of those from a non-English speaking background (NESB 1)⁴ the number rose from 3792 to 3920; the number for people who reported themselves as having a disability rose from 4138 to 4287.⁵ The proportion of NESB 1 fell from 3.4% to 3.3% and for those with a disability from 3.7% to 3.6%. These continue previous strong downward trends. The proportional decline amongst Indigenous employees was from 2.5% to 2.4%, confirming that the growth to 2.7% in 1999 has stalled.

A detailed analysis of diversity in the APS can be found in Chapter 8.

4 In the absence of alternative measures, the concept ‘NESB’, representing people from a non-English speaking background, is used with APSED. This captures information about first language spoken, place of birth and parental heritage. NESB1, the measure used here, includes people born overseas whose first language was not English. NESB2 has previously been reported in addition to NESB1 and includes children of migrants, including those who were born overseas and arrived in Australia before the age of five and did not speak English as a first language, those who were Australian born but did not speak English as a first language and had at least one NESB parent, and those who were Australian born and had neither parent speaking English as a first language. Analysis of APSED data has found that this group does not have a substantial employment disadvantage compared to other workers, and is therefore not reported here.

5 The number of employees for whom incomplete data are recorded remains a concern, and will be monitored in next year’s report. In part, this incompleteness reflects the voluntary nature of providing EEO data. There is, however, a problem with some agencies either not collecting the data, or not having their HR system configured in such a way that the data can be readily provided to APSED.