Australian Public Service (APS) Employee Census
Our 2023 results and Agency Action Plan
About the APS Employee Census
Each year, all eligible Australian Public Service (APS) employees are invited to take part in the APS Employee Census which is a confidential survey of all eligible employees who are employed under the Public Service Act 1999. It typically runs over the month of May, closing in early June each year.
The Employee Census collects information on:
- health and wellbeing
- performance management
- leadership
- general impressions of the APS and the ABS as an employer
| ABS Workforce Strategy 2021-25 goals | Employee Census question | ABS score | APS score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 – We are capable | My workgroup has the appropriate skills, capabilities and knowledge to perform well | 80 | 78 |
| 2 – We are collaborative | The people in my workgroup cooperate to get the job done | 92 | 88 |
| 3 – We are connected | I understand how my role contributes to achieving an outcome for the Australian public | 94 | 92 |
| 4 – We are leaders | When changes occur, the impacts are communicated well within my workgroup | 77 | 67 |
| 5 – We are curious | My immediate supervisor encourages me to come up with new or better ways of doing things | 80 | 72 |
| 6 – We are an employer of choice | I am satisfied with my non-monetary employment conditions (e.g. leave, flexible work arrangements, other benefits) | 89 | 74 |
ABS Results
ABS results - 2023 APS Employee Census
ABS results - 2023 APS Employee Census
What do we do with our results?
We use our results from each year’s Employee Census to inform our people strategies and policies, and to track progress against our workforce goals. We discuss results with employees to identify their highest priorities for action. Teams are supported to implement actions locally, and we have a number of enterprise-wide people related initiatives underway to help us continuously improve our workplace.
Our Agency Action Plan
At the agency level, we are committed to taking actions across its workforce goals - guided by the themes that emerge from the results each year.
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Description
Based on the results from the 2023 APS Employee Census, we are proud that our employees recognise that the ABS supports and actively promotes an inclusive workplace culture. We are also proud that our employees feel they have reasonable access to working flexibly and that teams can balance their operational requirements across diverse ways of working.
From the 2023 APS Employee Census results, we have identified four priority areas where we could be doing more; these are change management, wellbeing, productivity and communication.
For change management, our employees feel that change management at the agency level could be more effective. To address this, the ABS will endorse and communicate ABS change management principles and create a change roadmap; and provide timely and targeted change communications.
For wellbeing, results shows that even though employees know where to get support, they continue to feel impacted by workload pressures. The ABS is committed to enhancing the visibility of wellbeing resources available through the intranet by increasing awareness and uptake of resources; and elevating the ABS Team Wellbeing Framework as a tool to discuss wellbeing needs and tailored initiatives.
For productivity, our employees feel that the tools and resources needed to perform at their best could be improved. The ABS will communicate a roadmap for rolling out contemporary Collaboration Tools; and identifying and prioritising workplace pain points that will be addressed.
For communication, our employees feel that while their supervisor communicates effective, the effectiveness of internal communication across the ABS can be improved. The ABS will increase the frequency and interactivity of all-staff communications; regularly showcasing the value that key projects and programmes are delivering.
These are the four key priorities for the ABS for next 12 months. The ABS will track progress in these areas with a mid year review.