The first WA Public Sector Census was held in March and April 2023.
More than 47,000 public sector employees responded – that’s around 30% of the entire workforce. Compared to the first census run by other Australian public sectors including frontline employees, our response rate was higher.
Employees who responded to the census provided valuable information about demographics, job type and tenure, diversity and inclusion, education and their experiences in the workplace.
Sector Insights
Sector Insights is an overview of the results for the sector.
Highlights:
- Almost 70% of respondents said they have recommended or would recommend their agency as a place to work.
- More than half of respondents have worked in the sector for more than 11 years, demonstrating the wealth of experience in the public sector.
- 39% of respondents identified as having cultural diversity. This shows the potential to tap into a large group of people to further cultural knowledge and understanding to service our multicultural community.
- Despite the strong labour market for employees, more than half of respondents said they intended to remain with their agency for the next 5 years.
The census also asked questions about employee experiences in the workplace. Understanding the extent to which employees say they experience such things as bullying and discrimination or observe improper practices are vital to inform improvement actions.
How this information is being used
Agency heads and their executives are using the insights uncovered in the census to understand their employees’ behaviours and experiences in the workplace, leverage any workforce strengths uncovered, develop and implement practical initiatives that respond to any areas identified for improvement, and over the longer term inform initiatives and policies that affect their workforce.
Agencies may integrate these insights into ongoing improvement work.
The Public Sector Commission is using the census information to inform its current sectorwide reform and improvement programs including:
- Building Leadership Impact
- Agency Capability Review Program
- Workforce Diversification and Inclusion Strategy
- public sector integrity initiatives.
It is also using the information to inform planning for other sectorwide initiatives.
