Managing and sustaining the APS workforce

MAC

The Management Advisory Committee (MAC) is a forum of Secretaries and Agency Heads established under the Public Service Act 1999 to advise the Australian Government on matters relating to the management of the Australian Public Service

Go to the MAC page

Paying particular attention to graduate recruitment and career development

The Australian Public Service (APS) faces a big challenge in continuing to attract, retain and develop the people it needs.

As for other employers, a tighter labour market is in prospect, a factor of wider demographic shifts and the ageing of the population. In the APS we are already experiencing shortages for some skills and will face increasing competition for others. We need to be well positioned to succeed in the 'war for talent'.

This report sets out the issues. Importantly it suggests a range of actions that will help public service agencies to respond.

The APS has seen massive change over recent decades. Responsibility for the management of agencies has been devolved. There is far greater contestability in the development of public policy and delivery of government services. Productivity has risen significantly.

The APS workforce is also undergoing enormous change. The great majority of its recruits now have tertiary qualifications. Top graduates are attracted by the demands of contributing to the development of complex public policy. They pursue a greater diversity of career patterns and working arrangements. They have different attitudes and expectations. They demand jobs that interest them. I sense that they have an increasing readiness and capacity to “vote with their feet” if their work experience does not measure up to their expectations.

In the future it is more likely that people will move in and out of the public service. We are already seeing a growth of new entrants with experience of other sectors. We need to promote mobility within the service. One of the great attributes of the APS is that it provides opportunity for public servants who want to try their hands at different things to have a wide range of work experiences. Equally important, mobility creates the sense of a single public service that can help to underpin whole of government approaches.

The challenges we face have major implications for how agencies can best recruit, develop and manage people and the cultures and working environments that they provide.

The major reforms already brought to the APS mean that we are well placed to respond positively. Devolution of employment powers to agencies has provided much needed flexibility and responsiveness. The opening of previously closed recruitment processes to outsiders and merit-based competition for all vacancies means we are increasingly attracting highly skilled recruits from outside the service. The agency based approach to collective agreement making and the increased use of individual workplace agreements is allowing a more tailored approach to remuneration and working conditions.

Yet, the scale of the issues means that concerted action by all APS agencies, both individually and collectively, is essential. Otherwise we will not be able to retain the skills we need to deliver the high quality policy, programmes and services that a government expects of a professional public service. Nor will we meet the expectations of the Australian community.

Recognising the need for action, the Management Advisory Committee commissioned this report. It identifies specific actions for agencies to adopt on an APS-wide basis. The report highlights the urgent need for systematic workforce and succession planning processes. It requires examination of employment arrangements, recruitment processes, training and career development, and strategies for identifying and developing future APS leaders.

The leadership group of the APS is strongly committed to these reform strategies. Through the Management Advisory Committee we will monitor progress with the implementation. Together we recognise that concerted action is required to ensure that the APS is well placed to meet the challenges of attracting, managing and sustaining its workforce in the years ahead.

Dr Peter Shergold AM

Executive summary

1. Introduction

2. APS workforce needs into the future

3. Workforce trends