Workforce profile

Key chapter findings

This chapter confirms a range of major changes in the structure of the APS workforce.

The APS continued to grow strongly this year as a proportion of total Commonwealth employment, reflecting a range of new Government initiatives aimed at improving Australia’s security, supporting families and carers, and meeting health and aged care needs.

This year has seen further consolidation of trends towards a more skilled workforce, through an increase in the proportion of employees with graduate qualifications, a high proportion of recruits with graduate qualifications, and higher levels of growth at more senior levels. These changes reflect a number of factors, including the outsourcing of a range of lower-level functions and the taking on by the APS of a range of new Government initiatives and enhanced functions of an increasingly complex nature, and some fundamental changes in the nature of APS work, including extensive stakeholder engagement and increasing expectations for immediate and comprehensive advice.

The growth in mobility between agencies, which has been evident for three years, appears to have been sustained. Together with increasing levels of engagement from outside the APS, this increased level of mobility will, if sustained over time, add to the breadth of experience in the APS, especially at more senior levels. There is also increasing mobility of the APS workforce between sectors, illustrated on the one hand by increasing engagement rates at higher levels and on the other by increasing resignation rates over the past 10 years.

There have been some changes in the typical APS employee this year. The ‘typical’ new starter in the APS is now a 32-year-old (up from 31 years last year) with graduate qualifications at the APS 3 level, and more likely to be a woman than a man.

The ‘typical’ APS employee is a 42-year-old with graduate qualifications, at the APS 6 level (a change from the APS 4 level last year), and, again, is more likely to be a woman than a man.

The feminisation of the APS continues, especially at the higher classifications. At current rates of progress, women’s representation in the SES will equal that of men in a decade. This is an achievement of which the APS can be proud. We need to ensure, however, that we continue to attract both male and female applicants of high quality.

A positive outcome this year has been the continuing growth in the employment of young people. While two years of growth cannot be considered a reversal of the long-term decline in the employment of young people, the result is something to build on in marketing the APS as an attractive employer for this group.

The trend towards improved representation of employees aged 55 years and over, often returning to the APS after retirement, is particularly pleasing. The significant pool of skills and corporate knowledge that this group brings to the workplace helps to maintain high levels of productivity. If agencies can continue to retain these workers, and to encourage others to return to the APS, then this will go some way towards alleviating concerns about leadership capability.

The sustained growth in engagements at the Graduate APS level over the past few years reflects agencies’ commitment to long-term strategies for sustaining the APS. It is, of course, necessary for agencies to consider the importance of other trainees when developing recruitment strategies in a tightening labour market.

The relatively large growth that has occurred in the APS in recent years gives rise to a number of workforce challenges, particularly at a time when some agencies are facing intergenerational change. These include the challenge of rapidly inducting new employees to issues unique to the APS such as the APS Values, and APS-specific skills such as policy development, programme management and government finances. For agencies managing a workforce with a large proportion of mature workers approaching retirement, the transfer of corporate knowledge will also be particularly important.

Increases in employee numbers can also place pressure on agencies’ accountability, government finance and regulatory frameworks. To deal effectively with such situations agencies need to foster high levels of agility, be particularly vigilant about monitoring their corporate health, and respond immediately to indicators that staff increases are having an impact on corporate health. These challenges are explored in detail in subsequent chapters.