2014-2015 Annual Report - Chapter 1

Staffing activity under the Public Service Employment Act

1.1 This chapter provides an overview of hiring and staffing activities^{Footnote 4} in departments and agencies under the Public Service Employment Act (PSEA) during fiscal year 2014-2015. The review of overall hiring to the public service^{Footnote 5} is followed by a more focused review of the staffing of indeterminate positions, length of time for which positions are advertised, data related to National Area of Selection, previous public service work experience, use of non-advertised appointments, official languages and employment equity (EE). The Public Service Commission (PSC)’s on-going studies are also discussed.

Overall public service hiring and staffing activities

1.2 The overall PSEA population^{Footnote 6} increased by 0.1% from March 2014 to March 2015, following three consecutive years of decline. The overall population decreased by 9.9% from March 2011 to March 2015.

1.3 Hiring to, and staffing activities within, the public service increased for a second year in a row, in contrast to the decline that characterized the previous four fiscal years. Despite these recent increases, most types of hiring and staffing activities in 2014-2015 remained below the levels observed in 2011-2012.

1.4 Total hiring and staffing activities increased by 15.3% to 83 632 in 2014-2015, compared to 72 527 in 2013-2014, 64 925 in 2012-2013, and 92 852 in 2011-2012. The rate of mobility of indeterminate employees to and within the public service increased to 24.9% in 2014-2015, up from 20.6% in 2013-2014 and 18.1% in 2012-2013 but below the rate of 27.1% in 2011-2012.

1.5 There was an increase in external advertisements for public service jobs in 2014-2015 compared to 2013-2014. In 2014-2015, the PSC handled 357 865 employment applications, 12.1% fewer than in 2013-2014, in response to 2 131 external advertisements, which increased by 12.2%. The number of applicants also decreased by 18.7%, from 228 417 in 2013-2014 to 185 641 in 2014-2015.

1.6 The most recent Survey of Staffing data from 2013 reveals that 19% of public servants participated in advertised or non-advertised staffing processes for term or indeterminate appointments in 2013. This proportion increased from 15% in 2012 and is below the proportion of 25% in 2011.

1.7 Figure 1 shows that all types of hiring increased in 2014-2015. Overall, there were 15.0% more hires into the public service in 2014-2015 (41 023) compared to 2013-2014 (35 677). Following two consecutive years of increase, hires in 2014-2015 were 4.2% below the 2011-2012 hires (42 828). Indeterminate hiring increased proportionally more than hiring of terms, casuals or students. There were 3 904 indeterminate hires in 2014-2015, 50.5% more than in 2013-2014 (2 594). Nevertheless, there were 26.9% fewer indeterminate hires in 2014-2015 than in 2011-2012 (5 343). Indeterminate hiring accounted for 9.5% of all hires in 2014-2015, compared to 7.3% in 2013-2014 and 6.4% in 2012-2013. Term hiring increased by 26.9%, from 5 801 in 2013-2014 to 7 364 in 2014-2015. Term hiring accounted for 18.0% of all hires in 2014-2015, compared to 16.3% in 2013-2014 and 15.6% in 2012-2013.

Figure 1: Hiring activities under the Public Service Employment Act, by tenure and fiscal year

Figure 1 long description

Source: Public Service Commission hiring and staffing activities files

1.8 Indeterminate employment is defined as employment of no fixed duration, whether part-time, full-time or seasonal. Term employment is defined as employment of a fixed duration, whether part-time or full-time. Casual employment is a short-term employment option, normally for no more than 90 days in a calendar year, and which is excluded from certain provisions of the PSEA. Students are persons appointed under the Student Employment Programs Participants Exclusion Approval Order and the Student Employment Programs Participants Regulations in a program designated by the Treasury Board as a student employment program.

1.9 Student hiring increased by 7.3% in 2014-2015 (11 146) compared to 2013-2014 (10 386), and remained below the levels observed in 2011-2012 (13 099). Student hiring accounted for 27.2% of all hiring to the public service in 2014-2015, compared to 29.1% in 2013-2014.

1.10 Casual hiring increased by 10.1% in 2014-2015 (18 609) compared to 2013-2014 (16 896), and was above the levels observed in 2011-2012 (16 275). Casual hiring represented 45.4% of all hiring in 2014-2015, compared to 47.4% in 2013-2014.

1.11 The PSEA population remained relatively stable, growing by 0.1% from 195 081 in March 2014 to 195 252 in March 2015. As illustrated in Figure 2, the PSEA population in March 2015 was 9.9% lower than in March 2011.

Figure 2: Public Service Employment Act population, by year, tenure and year-over-year change (%)

Figure 2 long description

Source: Public Service Commission population files

^(a) The decrease in 2013 was partly offset by the transfer to Shared Services Canada of approximately 850 employees previously employed in non-PSEA organizations. Had it not been for this transfer, the PSEA population would have declined by 5.8% that year.

^(b) The increase in 2015 resulted in part from the transfer of approximately 200 individuals previously employed outside the PSEA to the Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada and to the Police Operations Support (PO) group at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

1.12 Hiring increased in most regions in 2014-2015. Hiring in the National Capital Region (NCR) increased by 16.4%, but was still 6.9% below the 2011-2012 levels. Hiring in other regions increased by 13.9%, but was 2.0% lower than in 2011-2012. Hiring in the NCR accounted for 44.1% of all hiring in 2014-2015, up from 43.6% in 2013-2014. Figure 3 presents hiring and population figures at provincial and territorial levels in 2014-2015.

1.13 Five occupational groups accounted for 46.7% of all hiring in 2014-2015: Clerical and Regulatory, Administrative Services, Program Administration, Economics and Social Science Services and General Labour and Trades. The proportion of all hiring represented by these groups ranged from 41.4% to 46.7% over the last five years.

Figure 3: Hiring activities and population under the Public Service Employment Act, by geographic area

Figure 3 long description

Source: Public Service Commission hiring and staffing activities files and population files

Note: Totals for hiring activities to the public service and population include indeterminate and term employees, as well as casual workers and students.

Movement of indeterminate employees

1.14 Figure 4 shows an increase of movement of indeterminate employees to and within the public service in 2014-2015, and shows a decrease in the number of separations of indeterminate employees. As there were more departures than appointments to indeterminate positions, the indeterminate population decreased by 1.4% (2 484), from 173 083 in March 2014 to 170 599 in March 2015.

Figure 4: Indeterminate staffing activities to and within the public service and indeterminate separations under the Public Service Employment Act, contributing to movement of indeterminate employees for fiscal year 2014-2015

Figure 4 long description

Source: Public Service Commission hiring and staffing activities, and separations files

^(a) Individuals who left the public service as part of Spending Review 2012 are reported under other separations.

Note: Promotions and lateral and downward movements within the public service include appointments of persons with a priority entitlement to indeterminate positions. Lateral and downward movements include deployments and appointments of persons with a reinstatement priority entitlement that does not end the priority entitlement. Acting appointments of less than four months are excluded.

Inflow includes movements from non-Public Service Employment Act (PSEA) organizations such as the Canada Revenue Agency. Outflow does not include interorganizational movements within the PSEA, but does include movements to organizations outside the PSEA universe.

1.15 The rate of movement, also referred to as the mobility rate, for indeterminate appointments to, and staffing activities within, the public service increased in 2014-2015 for a second consecutive year. Despite this increase, the 2014-2015 mobility rate remained below the rates observed prior to 2011-2012. The rate is measured by relating the volume of indeterminate staffing activities to the size of the indeterminate public service population. Figure 5 shows the indeterminate mobility rate increasing to 24.9% in 2014-2015, compared to 20.6% in 2013-2014. The rate peaked at 43.8% in 2008-2009. (See Appendix 3, Figure 10, for more information.)

Figure 5: Mobility rate for indeterminate appointments to, and staffing activities within, the public service, by fiscal year^(a)

Figure 5 long description

Source: Public Service Commission hiring and staffing activities files

^(a) The mobility rate is the ratio of the total number of appointments to the public service, promotions, acting appointments and lateral and downward appointments of indeterminate employees during the fiscal year to the average of the active population at the start and end of the same fiscal year.

Appointments of new indeterminate employees

1.16 Figure 6 shows appointments of new indeterminate employees increasing for a second consecutive year. A total of 6 159 new indeterminate employees were appointed in 2014-2015, either via external hiring (3 904) or via appointment of former term employees (2 255). Although this was an increase of 39.1% from 2013-2014 (4 427), appointments of new indeterminate employees in 2014-2015 remained 29.6% below 2011-2012 levels (8 745).

Figure 6: Appointments under the Public Service Employment Act of new indeterminate employees, by fiscal year

Figure 6 long description

Source: Public Service Commission hiring and staffing activities files

1.17 From 2013-2014 to 2014-2015, the number of appointments of new indeterminate employees grew as a result of increases in both indeterminate appointments via external hiring (up 50.5%) and appointments of term employees to indeterminate positions within the public service (up 23.0%). As seen in previous years, a majority of new indeterminate employees (63.4%) were appointed via external hiring in 2014-2015.

1.18 Although more new indeterminate employees under the age of 35 were hired in 2014-2015 (3 365) than in 2013-2014 (2 286), the number of public service employees of this age group declined for a fifth consecutive year, from 29 402 in March 2014 to 27 232 in March 2015. As illustrated in Figure 7, employees under the age of 35 accounted for 16.0% of all indeterminate employees in March 2015, compared to 17.0% in March 2014 and 21.4% in March 2010, when the proportion reached a peak.

Figure 7: Proportion of indeterminate employees aged less than 35 to indeterminate population under the Public Service Employment Act, by year

Figure 7 long description

Source: Public Service Commission population files

1.19 In 2014-2015, the increase in the number of appointments of new indeterminate employees in the NCR (40.0%) was comparable to the increase in other regions (38.7%). Indeterminate external hiring increased less in the NCR (43.3%) relative to other regions (54.6%), but appointments of term employees to indeterminate positions increased more in the NCR (34.9%) than in other regions (16.9%). Appointments of new indeterminate employees under the age of 35 increased proportionally more in the NCR (59.7%) than in other regions (39.9%) in 2014-2015.

1.20 In 2014-2015, the Clerical and Regulatory, Administrative Services, Economics and Social Science Services, Program Administration and Correctional Services groups accounted for 52.3% of appointments of new indeterminate employees in 2014-2015, compared to 48.9% in 2013-2014.

Indeterminate staffing activities within the public service

1.21 Indeterminate staffing activities within the public service^{Footnote 7} increased for a second consecutive year in 2014-2015, while remaining below levels observed in 2011-2012. Indeterminate staffing activities increased by 14.6% in 2014-2015 (36 690) compared to 2013-2014 (32 017). As indicated in Figure 8, promotions and acting appointments increased by 19.1% and 39.7%, respectively, but lateral and downward movements decreased by 4.6%.

Figure 8: Internal staffing activities of indeterminate employees under the Public Service Employment Act, by type and fiscal year

Figure 8 long description

Source: Public Service Commission hiring and staffing activities files

Note: Totals include staffing activities to indeterminate positions of employees who were already indeterminate. Lateral and downward movements include deployments. Acting appointments of less than four months are excluded. Figures also include appointments of persons with a priority entitlement.

1.22 In 2014-2015, internal staffing activities for indeterminate employees increased more in the NCR (22.1%) than in other regions (6.3%). This is similar to the observation in 2013-2014, and it contrasts with the larger decreases observed in the NCR compared to other regions in 2011-2012 and 2012-2013.

1.23 In 2014-2015, only 11.0% of internal staffing activities involved a change of department or agency, down from 12.2% in 2013-2014. This proportion peaked at 14.4% in 2009-2010.

Acting appointments

1.24 There were 39.7% more acting appointments in 2014-2015 (13 302) compared to 2013-2014 (9 524). Acting appointments increased by 41.6% in the NCR and by 37.7% in other regions. The rate of promotion following an acting appointment increased to 26.8% in 2013-2014 from 22.9% in 2012-2013, but remained lower than the rate of 28.3% in 2010-2011. The duration of acting appointments ending with a promotion decreased to 16.9 months in 2013-2014 from 18.0 months in 2012-2013. (See Appendix 3 for more information.)

Executive staffing activities

1.25 Appointments of new indeterminate Executives increased for a second year in a row (see Table 1). There were 391 such appointments in 2014 2015, 41.7% (115) more than in 2013-2014 (276) but 7.3% less than in 2011-2012 (422). The number of new indeterminate Executives increased by 34.8% (77) in the NCR and by 69.1% (38) in other regions.

Source: Public Service Commission hiring and staffing activities files

1.26 Despite the increase in appointments of new indeterminate Executives, the number of separations of indeterminate Executives exceeded their inflow and the indeterminate Executive population decreased by 1.2%, from 4 559 in March 2014 to 4 504 in March 2015. Comparatively, the indeterminate population in the rest of the public service decreased by 1.4%. The indeterminate Executive population decreased by 0.9% in the NCR, from 3 474 to 3 441, compared to 2.0% in other regions, from 1 085 to 1 063.

1.27 The majority (90.3%) of new indeterminate Executives were appointed from other occupational groups within the public service.^{Footnote 8} Most other new Executives were hired externally^{Footnote 9} (9.2%), and a few (0.5%) were appointed from term Executive positions to indeterminate positions.

1.28 Casual hiring of Executives in 2014-2015 (81) was comparable to 2013-2014 hiring (79). This follows four consecutive years of decrease from a peak of 186 Executive casual hires in 2009-2010.

1.29 Appointments of indeterminate Executives to other indeterminate Executive positions increased in 2014-2015, after four consecutive years of decline. The 1 248 activities in 2014-2015 represented a 30.3% increase over the 958 activities in 2013-2014. Acting appointments increased by 28.2%, from 181 to 232, above the average of 195 observed over the previous five years. The number of lateral and downward movements increased by 28.8%, from 534 to 688, above the average of 620 observed over the previous five years. Promotions among Executives increased by 35.0% to 328, compared to 243 in 2013-2014, above the average of 309 promotions observed over the previous five years.

1.30 Indeterminate staffing activities of Executives increased at all occupational levels except at the EX-05 level where activities decreased from 35 in 2013-2014 to 32 in 2014-2015. Activities increased by 35.8% in the NCR and by 12.1% in other regions.

A values-based staffing system

1.31 The Preamble to the PSEA states that “Canada will continue to benefit from a public service that is based on merit and non-partisanship and in which these values are independently safeguarded.” Further, “the public service, whose members are drawn from across the country, reflects a myriad of backgrounds, [... and] embodies linguistic duality.” In addition, the Preamble states that the “public service [...] is characterized by fair, transparent employment practices” and that “delegation [...] should afford public service managers the flexibility necessary to staff, to manage and to lead their personnel to achieve results for Canadians.” This sets out a vision for a staffing system in which hiring managers have the flexibility to design effective staffing approaches to find the required skills for the specific circumstances. This is reflected in the PSC’s appointment policies.

Access to public service jobs

1.32 The PSC is committed to ensuring that Canadians have access to job opportunities in the public service. The PSC looks at a number of indicators to determine whether the value of access is respected overall, including the length of time for which positions are advertised; data related to the use of National Area of Selection; the geographic origins of public servants; the proportion of Canadians with no previous public service work experience; and the use of non-advertised processes.

Length of time for advertising

1.33 One decision that a manager makes is the length of time for which job opportunities are advertised. The PSC Advertising in the Appointment Process Policy requires that job opportunities in the federal public service be advertised for a minimum of one business day. However, PSC guidance recommends that managers advertise for one to two weeks, depending on factors such as the number of positions to be filled; the urgency of the requirement; the use of complementary advertisements such as newspapers and job fairs; variations in time zones and work schedules for potential applicants; and the expectation of accepting applications through the mail or by other means.

1.34 Overall, managers tended to advertise for similar periods of time in 2014-2015, compared to 2013-2014. Based on the Public Service Resourcing System, about 72% of external advertisements in 2014-2015 were posted for one week or longer, compared to 73% in 2013-2014. In 2014-2015, about 14% of external advertisements were posted for two days or less, compared to 11% in 2013-2014. No advertisements were posted for less than one business day.

National Area of Selection

1.35 To ensure that Canadians from across the country, and those living abroad, have access to public service jobs, the PSC Area of Selection Policy requires that externally advertised employment opportunities be open nationally.

Geographic origins of the public service workforce

1.36 The Preamble to the PSEA describes a public service “whose members are drawn from across the country.” The Survey of Staffing collects data on the geographic origins of public service employees by identifying the province or territory where they last attended high school. This serves as a proxy for understanding the geographic representativeness of the federal public service. Table 2 compares the most recent Survey of Staffing results across each geographic area with the Canadian labour force data. The most recent Survey of Staffing was conducted in winter 2014 (referred to as the 2013 Survey of Staffing).

Source: Survey of Staffing — 2012 and 2013; Statistics Canada — Population of Census Metropolitan Areas 2012; Labour Force Survey, March 2014 (71-001-X); CANSIM Tables: 282-0116, 282-0100 and 282-0054.

^(a) The origins of the public service workforce is a proxy measure of the geographical representativeness of the public service. It is based on a Survey of Staffing question that inquired about the province or territory in which public service employees attended high school.

^(b) This is an estimate of the breakdown of the National Capital Region between Ontario and Quebec based on the relative share of the population in each province within the Ottawa-Gatineau census metropolitan area. For 2013, the Survey of Staffing collected this information directly.

^(c) In the Survey of Staffing 2012, 39 respondents (0.04%) indicated that they attended high school in Yukon; the figure in the table (0.0%) is rounded.

^(d) In the Survey of Staffing 2013, 33 respondents (0.04%) indicated that they attended high school in Nunavut; the figure in the table (0.0%) is rounded.

Previous public service work experience

1.37 As illustrated in Figure 9, the proportion of new indeterminate hires who had no previous public service work experience increased from 32.4% in 2013-2014 to 38.5% in 2014-2015. Appointees with term experience accounted for a smaller proportion of hires in 2014-2015 (40.3%) than in 2013-2014 (47.1%). The proportion of those with previous casual employment experience continues to increase, from 11.5% in 2013-2014 to 13.7% in 2014-2015.

Figure 9: New indeterminate hires, by previous public service experience and fiscal year

Figure 9 long description

Source: Public Service Commission Job-based Analytical Information System

^(a) Students and trainees may include previous experience in other federal organizations.

^(b) Casual may include previous experience such as a student, trainee or in other federal organizations.

^(c) Term may include previous experience such as a casual, student, trainee or in other federal organizations.

Use of advertised and non-advertised processes

1.38 Under the PSEA, appointment processes may be advertised or non-advertised and hiring managers have the choice of using either type of process. In an advertised appointment process, a manager formally solicits applications from candidates, assesses them against the merit criteria for the position, and selects and appoints a person from the candidate pool who is qualified for the job. In a non-advertised appointment process, a manager assesses a person against the merit criteria and, if qualified, appoints the person to the job.

1.39 The objective of the PSC Choice of Appointment Process Policy is to help organizations meet their operational and human resources (HR) needs. The choice should be consistent with the organization’s HR plan and the staffing values. There is no “one size fits all” checklist of when to use which process, because it depends on the organization’s operational needs and the criteria for the choice of appointment process that it has established. Appointments must be based on merit and non-partisanship, and the process should be transparent and fair.

1.40 Table 3 shows that in 2014-2015, 76.5% of appointments to the public service and promotions were made through advertised processes and 23.5% were made through non-advertised processes. In 2013-2014, 74.9% of appointments to the public service and promotions were made through advertised processes and 25.1% were made through non-advertised processes. Due to a change in methodology^{Footnote 10} figures from 2013-2014 onward are not comparable with previous years.

Source: Public Service Commission (PSC) hiring and staffing activities files matched to their administrative data sources

^(a) In 2014-2015, due to timing and data quality issues, the PSC was able to match approximately 80% of appointments to the public service, 90% of promotions, and approximately 50% of acting appointments, with the PSC administrative data sources. Ongoing efforts to improve data quality resulted in enhanced coverage of appointments to the public service and promotions. In 2013-2014, the PSC began reporting student bridging as a non-advertised process rather than an advertised process, as in previous years. As a result, proportions of advertised and non-advertised processes for appointments to the public service as well as the total are not comparable to figures published prior to 2013-2014.

^(b) Includes indeterminate and term appointments. Excludes lateral and downward movements, deployments and acting appointments of less than four months.

^(c) Year-over-year changes in the proportion of advertised and non-advertised processes reflect changes in the match rates and changes in the distribution of each of the three appointment types.

^(d) Subtotal and the total are calculated based on a weighted average.

1.41 The PSC notes that there are generally two types of non-advertised processes. The first type includes situations where advertising was used at the outset. Examples include student bridging following participation in a student employment program, and appointments and completion of a professional development program. The second type includes situations where only one person is formally considered. Managers may choose this type of non-advertised process for a variety of reasons, which may include, but are not limited to, certain reclassifications, where there are skill shortages, where there is an urgent and unforeseen need, or in situations meeting other criteria that an organization has established.

1.42 The reasons for using a non-advertised process that were most frequently reported in 2014-2015 include student bridging, re-appointing the incumbent of a reclassified position, highly specialized skills and shortage areas and promoting an employee following completion of an apprenticeship or professional development program.

Perceptions of fairness and transparency in appointments

Perceptions of fairness

1.43 The most recent Survey of Staffing data show an increase in the perceptions of fairness in 2013: 72% of candidates indicated that the advertised or non-advertised staffing process in which they participated was fair, up from 64% in 2012 and 70% in 2011. The data also reveal that candidate perceptions of fairness vary with the outcome of the staffing process. Successful candidates (i.e. those who received an offer of appointment) were more likely to view the process as fair than those who were unsuccessful. In 2013, 95% of those who received an offer felt that the advertised process in which they participated was fair, as compared to 58% of those who were unsuccessful. The share of candidates who received an offer of appointment following an advertised process also increased, from 20% in 2012 to 29% in 2013.

1.44 Over the past three years, employee perceptions of the fairness of staffing processes in their own work unit remained relatively stable (70% in 2013, compared to 71% in 2012 and 69% in 2011). The latest data from the Survey of Staffing show that, among the employment equity designated groups, 57% of persons with disabilities, 61% of Aboriginal peoples, 65% of members of visible minorities and 72% of women reported that staffing processes within their own work unit were carried out in a fair manner.

Perceptions of transparency

1.45 The latest data from the Survey of Staffing show that 70% of public service employees agree that staffing processes within their own work unit were carried out in a transparent way, a proportion that has remained the same over the past three years. Among the EE designated groups, 57% of persons with disabilities, 61% of Aboriginal peoples, 64% of members of visible minorities and 70% of women reported that staffing processes within their own work unit were carried out in a transparent way. These proportions remained relatively stable from 2011 to 2013.

Informal discussion

1.46 During an internal appointment process, both the PSEA and the PSC Policy on Informal Discussion require that persons eliminated from consideration be provided with an opportunity to discuss the reasons for their elimination from the process as soon as possible after the decision is made.

1.47 Informal discussion promotes transparency and is intended to improve communication during the appointment process before a final decision about an appointment is made. This allows managers to quickly and effectively correct any errors or omissions in the appointment process.

1.48 The Survey of Staffing found that 55% of managers who administered advertised processes received requests from candidates for informal discussions in 2013, compared to 57% in 2012 and 49% in 2011. The Survey of Staffing data also show that the proportion of candidates who sought an informal discussion with the hiring manager after being eliminated from the process increased slightly, to 46% in 2013 from 44% in 2012 (Table 4). The data also show a four percentage points increase (from 6% in 2012 to 10% in 2013) in the proportion of candidates who were screened back into the process as a result of informal discussions. The data further show that 50% of candidates who participated in informal discussions in 2013 were satisfied with the outcome, a result comparable to 2012.

Source: Survey of Staffing — 2011, 2012 and 2013

^(a) Due to a change from a three-point answer grid to a four-point answer grid for this question in the 2012 Survey of Staffing, 2012 and 2013 estimates are not directly comparable to 2011 estimates.

A representative public service

1.49 As stated in the Preamble to the PSEA, the public service must be representative of Canada’s diversity and be able to serve Canadians in their official language of choice. For the purposes of the Employment Equity Act, the PSC and the Treasury Board share employer obligations for the federal public service, each within its respective mandate. As such, the PSC is required to identify and eliminate employment barriers in the appointment system for the four designated groups (i.e. women, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities); institute positive policies and practices; and provide accommodation in appointment processes to help achieve a representative public service.

1.50 The PSC collects data on the number of individuals who apply through the Public Service Resourcing System for advertisements open to Canadians on the PSC’s jobs.gc.ca Web site. This enables the PSC to assess EE trends and performance regarding the share of external applicants of the following EE groups: Aboriginal peoples; persons with disabilities; and members of visible minorities.

1.51 As illustrated in Table 5, the PSC found that the percentage of applicants of Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities decreased in 2014-2015 compared to 2013-2014. From 2013-2014 to 2014-2015, the applicant rate of Aboriginal peoples decreased from 5.0% to 3.0% (the same rate as in 2012-2013), that of persons with disabilities decreased from 2.4% to 2.2% and that of members of visible minorities decreased from 21.4% to 20.8%. In 2014-2015, EE applicant rates were below the 2011 workforce availability estimates, with the exception of members of visible minorities.

Source: Public Service Resourcing System (PSRS)

^(a) For applicants to advertised processes, the percentages for the employment equity designated groups are based on applicants who self-declared through the PSRS.

^(b) The 2011 workforce availability for the public service was provided by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.

^(c) Applicant data by sex cannot be reported due to a change in data capture.

Note: Table includes applicants whose latest application was to an external advertisement which included an indeterminate position and/or a term position of three months and over.

1.52 Students who are members of designated groups – The PSC administers the student employment programs through which federal organizations recruit and hire students. From year to year, these programs continue to attract a diverse pool of applicants from the secondary and post-secondary cohorts. The PSC continues to examine the EE profile of students, both as applicants and as hires.

1.53 Table 6 shows that students who are members of EE designated groups continued to be appointed at a higher rate than that at which they applied in 2014-2015. Workforce availability is not used to assess representativeness of EE designated groups’ share of student employment, because information on workforce availability is based on broad occupational categories rather than employment status.

Source: Public Service Commission (PSC) hiring and staffing activities files and Public Service Resourcing System (PSRS)

^(a) Includes students who applied or were hired through the Federal Student Work Experience Program and the Research Affiliate Program. Employment equity (EE) data on students who applied or were hired through the Post-Secondary Co-op/Internship Program are not available.

^(b) The percentages for Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities are based on students who applied and self-declared through the PSRS. These figures exclude cancelled advertisements.

^(c) The percentages for Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities are based on students who applied and self-declared through the PSRS in the preceding two fiscal years and where a match was found in the PSC hiring and staffing activities files covering the current fiscal year. These exclude appointments to separate agencies.

^(d) Due to a change in data capture, applicant data by sex is not available.

^(e) Numbers for women appointed to the public service are extracted from the PSC hiring and staffing activities files, which are based on the Public Works and Government Services Canada pay system. These exclude appointments to separate agencies.

Note: Workforce availability is not used to assess representativeness of EE designated groups’ share of student employment because information on workforce availability is based on broad occupational categories rather than employment status.

A focus on persons with disabilities

1.54 The PSC has had a particular concern about the rates of application of persons with disabilities, which continue to be below their respective workforce availability. To gain a better understanding of, and address the issues contributing to the current rates, the PSC is engaging in outreach with students and employees with disabilities. The PSC also conducts assessment accommodation^{Footnote 11}, uses technology to provide greater access to public service jobs, collects and disseminates noteworthy practices to hiring managers and conducts research to inform policy direction and strategies.

1.55 The PSC together with Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, the Office for Disability Issues (ODI) within Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and Shared Services Canada’s Accessibility, Accommodation and Adaptive Computer Technology Program, conducted a pilot outreach event in October 2014, in partnership with the Paul Menton Centre for Students with Disabilities at Carleton University. This was a follow-up to a first pilot outreach event, which was held in March 2014. These events sought to engage students with disabilities on the importance of pre-graduation work experience, and to update them on available Government of Canada student employment programs (e.g. the Federal Student Work Experience Program).

1.56 The PSC has since expanded the initiative to include other universities and community colleges. In February 2015, the PSC organized an event at Dalhousie University to which students at Saint Mary University and community colleges in Halifax were also invited, and for which ESDC/ODI provided support. The PSC along with ESDC/ODI also participated in an outreach event organized by the University of Ottawa in February 2015, and an outreach event at Algonquin College in March 2015.

1.57 These events have raised awareness of opportunities in the federal public service and addressed issues of particular interest to participants regarding the use of the on-line application system, self-declaration and assessment accommodation for employment testing. This outreach to improve opportunities for students is part of a larger framework that is being developed to increase the application and appointment rates of persons with disabilities in the federal public service.

1.58 Assessment accommodation – In 2014-2015, the PSC also conducted outreach to hiring managers and HR advisors on assessment accommodation to ensure that they are aware of how candidates with disabilities can be assessed so that they have equal opportunity to demonstrate their qualifications without being limited or unfairly restricted due to the effects of a disability. The PSC provided seminars and Webinars to some 28 different organizations on good practices in assessment.

1.59 Also in 2014-2015, the PSC engaged with the Human Resources Council, the National Staffing Council and the National Joint Council on various topics related to EE, including assessment accommodation and the PSC’s statistical studies. More information on PSC outreach is found in Chapter 2.

1.60 Study on the application by, and appointment of, persons with disabilities – The PSC is seeking to more fully understand the issues surrounding the application and appointment of persons with disabilities. The PSC is undertaking a study to examine in more detail the application by, and appointment rates of, persons with disabilities relative to workforce availability, and the factors that might influence these rates.

Minimizing barriers to recruitment

1.61 The PSC continues to monitor the applicant and recruitment rates of the four EE groups to identify any barriers and develop appropriate strategies to help achieve a representative public service.

1.62 Through technology and innovation, the PSC continues to promote accessibility in the public service. PSC standardized tests and systems are being developed according to the principles of Universal Test Design (UTD). UTD increases accessibility for all job applicants by reducing the number of barriers to, and demand for, accommodation in the staffing process.

1.63 The Aboriginal Centre of Excellence - The Aboriginal Centre of Excellence is focused on increasing Aboriginal representation within the federal public service by establishing partnerships, developing strategies, sharing best practices and providing expertise, guidance, support and assistance in the recruitment and staffing of qualified Aboriginal candidates. The Centre of Excellence has been actively involved in several initiatives, including a targeted FSWEP Aboriginal student recruitment campaign in collaboration with Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada.

1.64 The PSC is committed to working with the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer and deputy heads, as well as other stakeholders, to ensure that the federal public service is representative and reflects Canada’s increasingly diverse society. The PSC also participates in public-service wide forums including the Joint Employment Equity Committee, the Employment Equity Champions and Chairs Committees and the Human Resources Council. Participation in these forums provides opportunities for collaboration, dialogue and sharing of noteworthy practices.

Official languages: Linguistic duality

1.65 Positions in the public service may be bilingual or unilingual. For bilingual positions, managers must identify the proficiency level required for the work to be performed, and persons appointed must meet the official language proficiency requirements. The PSC monitors staffing activities as they relate to official languages in the public service.

1.66 The proportion of Anglophones who were appointed to the public service, to an indeterminate or a term position, was 74.4% in 2014-2015 compared to 73.8% in 2013-2014. Conversely, the proportion of Francophones decreased from 26.2% to 25.6%. The proportion of appointments to, and staffing activities within, the public service to bilingual positions increased from 43.5% in 2013-2014 to 45.4% in 2014-2015. Indeterminate appointments and staffing activities represented 89.8% of these and the remaining 10.2% were term. (See Appendix 2, Tables 38-41, for more information.)

Non-imperative staffing

1.67 Bilingual positions may be staffed on a non-imperative basis under specific circumstances, as provided for under the Treasury Board Directive on Official Languages for People Management. The Public Service Official Languages Exclusion Approval Order (the Order) and the Public Service Official Languages Appointment Regulations (the Regulations) allow for an agreement for the person to become bilingual within two years, or for the person to transition to retirement within two years. The PSC may also consider a medical condition that prevents an individual from learning a second language.

1.68 Fewer indeterminate appointments to bilingual positions were made through non-imperative appointment processes in 2014-2015. Non-imperative processes accounted for 2.1% of indeterminate appointments to bilingual positions in 2014-2015, compared to 2.8% in 2013-2014 and 5.2% in 2010-2011 (see Table 7).

Source: Public Service Commission hiring and staffing activities files

Note: Includes appointments to the public service, promotions and lateral and downward movements, but excludes acting appointments.

1.69 The majority of persons appointed on a non-imperative basis in 2014-2015 met the language requirements upon appointment. Further, in each of the past five years, the PSC has approved fewer than 10 medical exclusions, and monitoring shows fewer than 10 exclusions that allowed the person to transition to retirement. The balance (0.7% of indeterminate appointments to bilingual positions in 2014-2015) were entitled to receive language training and must meet the language requirements within the maximum time period allowed by the Order and the Regulations. The PSC is monitoring these cases to ensure that the time limits are respected.

1.70 Since the current Order and Regulations providing for non-imperative appointments came into force on December 31, 2005, there has been a decline in the number of cases that do not meet the requirements. There were four such cases as of March 31, 2015, a decrease from the 55 cases reported in 2009-2010 and the 320 cases reported in 2005-2006.

Second language evaluation

1.71 The PSC is responsible for evaluating second official language proficiency in appointment processes through the Second Language Evaluation (SLE) standardized tests for oral proficiency, written expression and reading comprehension in both English and French. SLE volumes have increased by 10.0% since last year. (See Appendix 2, Table 42 for more information.)

1.72 Pass rates – The PSC tracks pass rates for its second language tests which are the tests of oral proficiency, written expression and reading comprehension. Some year-to-year fluctuations in pass rates are to be expected due to a range of factors that influence test results, including the changing profiles of those taking the tests, their reasons for taking the test and their demographics.

Source: Public Service Commission Test Scoring and Results Reporting System, as of March 31, 2015

^(a) Pass rates reflect the number of successful tests at a given level, divided by the total number of tests for which that level is required, expressed as a percentage. Levels A, B and C correspond to basic, intermediate and advanced levels of second language proficiency.

Source: Public Service Commission Test Scoring and Results Reporting System, as of March 31, 2015

^(a) Pass rates reflect the number of successful tests at a given level, divided by the total number of tests for which that level is required, expressed as a percentage. Levels A, B and C correspond to basic, intermediate and advanced levels of second language proficiency.

Source: Public Service Commission Test Scoring and Results Reporting System, as of March 31, 2015

^(a) Pass rates reflect the number of successful tests at a given level, divided by the total number of tests for which that level is required, expressed as a percentage. Levels A, B and C correspond to basic, intermediate and advanced levels of second language proficiency.

1.73 Facilitating the placement of affected employees – As noted in its 2011-2012 Annual Report, the PSC amended its policies to allow managers to use SLE test results that are more than five years old to appoint employees facing involuntary displacement as a result of workforce adjustments to bilingual positions. These employees must obtain new SLE test results within 12 months of the appointment.

1.74 Since this was a temporary measure (in place only until March 31, 2015), the PSC also asked departments and agencies to monitor its use and report on it annually. During 2014-2015, the PSC continued to follow up on the cases reported to ensure that language tests for each employee confirmed that they met the official language requirements of the position prior to the end of the 12-month period, and to identify any problems or challenges that departments and agencies were facing. The information received shows that this measure has been effectively managed.

1.75 In 2012-2013, this measure allowed 257 employees who could have been displaced to remain in the public service. Departments and agencies have addressed 98% of these cases. In 2013-2014, another 169 appointments were made using this measure, of which 93% have been addressed. The remainder have been delayed due to long-term leaves of absence, or the employees were being deployed to positions for which they met the language requirements.

1.76 In 2014-2015, the third and final year of this measure, another 66 appointments were made using this measure, of which 39% were already addressed. The remaining cases will reach the end of their 12-month period during this fiscal year.

1.77 The PSC will continue to monitor the use of this measure to ensure that both service to the public and language of work requirements of the Official Languages Act are respected.

Research and studies

1.78 The PSC conducts research and studies to contribute to a broader and deeper understanding of various staffing issues of interest to the PSC, federal departments and agencies, other stakeholders and Parliament. These studies use statistical methods or descriptive tools to identify potential staffing issues and noteworthy practices. The PSC also undertakes study updates, which can be found in Appendix 3.

1.79 Study on application by, and appointment of, persons with disabilities – The PSC is undertaking a study to understand the issues surrounding application by, and appointment of, persons with disabilities. The study will apply qualitative and quantitative methodologies to explore the rates of application and appointment of persons with disabilities, and the factors that might influence these rates.

1.80 Updates of studies on members of employment equity designated groups: chances of promotion and perception of merit and fairness in staffing activities – In 2012-2013, the PSC undertook two studies that looked more closely at how being a member of an employment equity designated group affects both chances of promotion and perceptions of the staffing process. As these results represent a snapshot in time, the PSC is currently updating these studies to determine whether the results might present a trend.

1.81 Career progression of members of employment equity designated groups in the federal public service – The PSC is currently examining whether differences exist between the career progression of EE designated group members and their respective reference groups for the overall public service. Reference groups are men and women who did not self-identify as Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities or members of visible minorities.

Footnotes