Gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus)

Section 1: Institutional GBA Plus Capacity

In 2020–21, the Public Service Commission of Canada (PSC) continued delivering on its Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) Action Plan 2019–21 to more fully integrate GBA Plus across its key activities and business processes:

  1. Governance and capacity
  2. Awareness and training
  3. Integration and impact
  4. Data and research
  5. Monitoring and reporting

Due to the unprecedented context of the pandemic, the GBA Plus Action Plan was reprioritized to support PSC sectors by providing timely GBA Plus feedback and advice as needed. Timelines for remaining action items were extended into 2021–22.

The organization has a GBA Plus Responsibility Centre, located in the PSC’s Results and Delivery Division. While 0.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) is normally fully dedicated to GBA Plus implementation across the PSC, this resource was flexible in 2020–21 to provide help where it was needed the most during the pandemic. The Centre provides input on policies, programs and services, to support the PSC’s mandate of striving for a representative public service. A GBA Plus lens is used, with a specific focus on the intersectional diversity characteristics of employees and applicants, including but not limited to gender-based differences.

The GBA Plus Responsibility Centre continued to report internally through management committees on progress in implementing GBA Plus activities listed in the action plan, and to track how GBA Plus considerations have affected key PSC policies, programs and services. The Center will continue its work to ensure that PSC staff across sectors feel empowered and equipped to integrate GBA Plus considerations into their work, and are supported through knowledge transfer activities.

At the management level, the GBA Plus Champion was informed and engaged on progress in GBA Plus implementation, and created opportunities to raise awareness across the PSC, including by participating in the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. The responsibility center also collaborated with other departments, most notably by sharing a PSC-developed training course on identifying and reducing unconscious bias in hiring with the Canada School of Public Service. The course materials were leveraged by the School in developing its new H205 course on inclusive staffing for a diverse workforce.

Section 2: Gender and Diversity Program Results

 

Core Responsibility: Public Service Hiring and Non-partisanship

Program Name: Oversight and Monitoring

Target Population: Federal departments and/or agencies; public servants; the general public.

Distribution of Benefits:

    First group Second group Third group Fourth group Fifth group  
By gender Men     checked     Women
By income level Low     checked     High
    First group Second group Third group  
By age group Youth   checked   Senior

Other:

The Oversight and Monitoring program exists to ensure the integrity of the merit-based public service hiring process. This program performs audits and investigations and conducts surveys to monitor organizational compliance with staffing legislation, regulations and policies, and to provide a system-wide view of the staffing environment of the public service. This program also monitors and analyzes hiring data and conducts research to provide departments, agencies and Canadians with an informed view of the dynamics of public service hiring. The findings of this program are used to monitor and understand organizational results, including other programs’ outcomes. As such, key impacts found in the PSC’s other programs may be derived from activities led by the Oversight and Monitoring program. In 2020-21, key achievements included the launch of the Staffing and Non-Partisanship Survey, under a format allowing for disaggregated and intersectional data analysis; the release of the Audit of Employment Equity Representation in Recruitment (the « Audit », 2021); and the action plan aiming to eliminate barriers to inclusive hiring, which followed the results of the audit.

The PSC continued to conduct surveys to provide a system-wide view of the public service staffing environment, including the 2021 Staffing and Non-Partisanship Survey, a key PSC tool to monitor the health of the staffing system. The program also played a key role in gathering and analyzing data on employment equity groups and sub-groups, providing key findings that help the PSC monitor and assess its progress in achieving an inclusive workforce. In 2020–21, 5 PSC publications contained analysis of disaggregated data, including the 2021 Audit of Employment Equity Representation in Recruitment. The audit compared the representation rates of visible minority sub-groups during different stages of the hiring process, to identify comparative gaps within broader categories. It found that some sub-groups, such as Black applicants, had lower success rates than their counterparts in the staffing process. This finding provided contextual knowledge for the implementation of targeted initiatives. Some of the audit’s key findings are included in the Policy Direction and Support program summary below, demonstrating the Oversight and Monitoring Program’s role as a source of information.

The PSC committed to an action plan based on the audit recommendations, including commitments with a strong GBA Plus component, such as implementing training on unconscious bias in recruitment, working with stakeholders to identify and understand barriers in the staffing system, and developing guidance on employment systems review processes.

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan

The PSC now includes GBA Plus considerations when planning audits, as was the case in the 2021 Audit of Employment Equity Representation in Recruitment. In ongoing and planned audits, the PSC will seek to obtain and analyze disaggregated data, such as data collection at the employment equity sub-group level, whenever the audit methodology allows. It will include the GBA Plus lens in audit planning activities, as well as other oversight activities, where feasible.

The Oversight and Monitoring Program will seek to identify avenues for extracting and using disaggregated data on employment equity and other sociodemographic groups within its 2021–23 research plan, to support stronger policy, program and service development and implementation. When possible, variables relating to intersectionality, such as region of work and citizenship, will be collected along with employment equity information. The GBA Plus Responsibility Center will be consulted and will have an opportunity to suggest variables of interest at the planning phase.

The PSC will also proactively integrate GBA Plus considerations into its information-gathering processes, including through the Staffing and Non-Partisanship Survey. The survey includes a third gender option for respondents and collects data on key sociodemographic factors, such as employment equity group membership, level of education, region and first official language. This format allows for a detailed analysis of interactions between gender and other employment equity groups, such as intersectionality in perceptions of merit and fairness in hiring, to detect potential differences in perception.

 

Core Responsibility: Public Service Hiring and Non-partisanship

Program Name: Policy Direction and Support

Target Population: Federal departments and/or agencies; public servants; the general public.

Distribution of Benefits:

    First group Second group Third group Fourth group Fifth group  
By gender Men     checked     Women
By income level Low     checked     High
    First group Second group Third group  
By age group Youth   checked   Senior

 

Statistics

Observed Results

Data Source

Comment

Percentage of employees who are women

55% (against target objective of at least 52.7%)

TBS Employment Equity Data Bank (EEDB)

Workforce availability estimates are provided on the basis of information derived from the 2016 Census.

All employment equity results reflect the 2019–20 fiscal year.

Representation rate of women following the application and appointment stages of the external recruitment process, from the sample of selection processes in the Audit of Employment Equity Representation in Recruitment

52.8% (at job application) to 58.2% (at appointment)

Audit of Employment Equity Representation in Recruitment

The audit, which was published in 2021, used data from a sample of 181 external advertised appointment processes with closing dates between April 1, 2016 and March 31, 2017.

The audit did not detect a drop in women’s representation rates. However, according to another source of data (TBS’ annual employment equity report from 2019–20), women still show a higher separation rate than men in executive positions, and are overrepresented in lower salary brackets. Their representation rate has also fallen in IT positions and remains inconsistent in other occupational groups, such as Correctional Services.

Percentage of employees who are Indigenous peoples

5.1% (against target objective of at least 4.0%)

TBS Employment Equity Data Bank (EEDB)

Workforce availability estimates are provided on the basis of information derived from the 2016 Census.

All employment equity results reflect the 2019–20 fiscal year.

Representation rate of Indigenous persons following the application and appointment stages of the external recruitment process, from the sample of selection processes in the Audit of Employment Equity Representation in Recruitment

3.5% (at job application) to 2.9% (at appointment)

Audit of Employment Equity Representation in Recruitment

The audit, which was published in 2021, used data from a sample of 181 external advertised appointment processes with closing dates between April 1, 2016, and March 31, 2017.

Percentage of employees who are members of visible minority groups

17.8% (against target objective of at least 15.3%)

TBS Employment Equity Data Bank (EEDB)

Workforce availability estimates are provided on the basis of information derived from the 2016 Census.

All employment equity results reflect the 2019–20 fiscal year.

Representation rate of visible minority group members following the application and appointment stages of the external recruitment process, from the sample of selection processes in the Audit of Employment Equity Representation in Recruitment

30.4% (at job application) to 24.7% (at appointment)

Audit of Employment Equity Representation in Recruitment

The audit, which was published in 2021, used data from a sample of 181 external advertised appointment processes with closing dates between April 1, 2016, and March 31, 2017.

Percentage of employees who are persons with disabilities

5.2% (against target objective of at least 9.0%)

TBS Employment Equity Data Bank (EEDB)

Workforce availability estimates are provided on the basis of information derived from the 2016 Census and 2017 Survey on Disability.

Individuals with disabilities are the only employment equity group for which current representation remains below workforce availability.

All employment equity results reflect the 2019–20 fiscal year.

Representation rate of persons with disabilities following the application and appointment stages of the external recruitment process, from the sample of selection processes in the Audit of Employment Equity Representation in Recruitment

4.4% (at job application) to 2.4% (at appointment)

Audit of Employment Equity Representation in Recruitment

The audit, which was published in 2021, used data from a sample of 181 external advertised appointment processes with closing dates between April 1, 2016 and March 31, 2017.

Percentage of applicants who self-declare as a person with a disability

3.1% (against target objective of at least 9.0%)

Public Service Resourcing System

As per 2019 demographic data provided by OCHRO, 49.6% of employees with disabilities are over 50 years old, and may retire within 5 to 10 years. Renewal thus becomes a key concern.

Other:

The Policy Direction and Support Program exists to support departments and agencies in experimenting and innovating with their staffing approaches and supporting strategies, to help them both meet their business needs and achieve their diversity and employment equity objectives. Through this program, the PSC provides guidance to organizations to enable legislative, regulatory and policy compliance. This includes providing expert advice to build understanding and help ensure that public service appointments are merit-based and reflective of Canada’s diversity. Key achievements for this program in 2020–21 included preparing policy guidance products relating to diverse and inclusive hiring; modernizing the Public Service Employment Regulations; and an ongoing communications campaign designed to reach potential applicants with disabilities.

The program provides policy guidelines to departments on inclusive hiring and staffing. In 2020–21, the policy team reviewed the Inclusive Appointment Lens, incorporating a GBA Plus lens, and designed Staffing Options to Support Employment Equity, and Diversity and Inclusion, which clarify inclusion-focused staffing flexibilities as a function of the Public Service Employment Act. Both documents were released early in the first quarter of 2021–22. The PSC also continues to modernize the Public Service Employment Regulations, in order to maximize its capacity to meet the needs of hiring organizations, while ensuring that proposals take into account potential barriers to the full participation of women, men and gender-diverse individuals.

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan

In partnership with the Recruitment and Assessment Services Program, as part of its recruitment activities, the Policy Direction and Support Program will continue to collect information on representation rates in hiring and staffing processes, based on self-declaration as a member of one or more designated employment equity group(s). This information is collected at the sub-group level for 3 of the designated groups (Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities and visible minority group members). This data-gathering process will be coupled with the PSC’s ongoing communications plan, focused on encouraging persons with disabilities to self-declare.

 

Core Responsibility: Public Service Hiring and Non-partisanship

Program Name: Recruitment and Assessment Services

Target Population: Federal departments and/or agencies; public servants; the general public.

Distribution of Benefits:

    First group Second group Third group Fourth group Fifth group  
By gender Men       checked   Women
By income level Low     checked     High
    First group Second group Third group  
By age group Youth   checked   Senior

 

Statistics

Observed Results

Data Source

Comment

Percentage of official language minority applicants

10.1% (against target objective of at least 6.9%)

Public Service Resourcing System

This indicator includes English-speaking applicants in Quebec and French-speaking applicants outside Quebec.

Percentage of new hires who applied from outside the National Capital Region

78.7% (against target objective of at least 75%)

Public Service Resourcing System

The changes to teleworking capacity brought about by the pandemic may have an impact on this indicator in the future.

Percentage of accommodation requests processed within service standards

92% (against target objective of least 90%)

Internal PSC data

Percentage of applicants who found GC Jobs easy to use when applying for a job.

72% (against target objective of at least 80%)

Client satisfaction survey

The ease of access of the GC Jobs platform helps streamline the job application process. This may be especially helpful for applicants who have restricted time, for example due to family commitments, or limited access to Internet.

Other:

The Recruitment and Assessment Services Program exists to support departments and agencies in the hiring of qualified individuals into and within the public service, helping to shape a workforce reflecting Canada’s diversity. Through inclusive outreach and the use of modern tools, it reduces barriers for all Canadians seeking to access public service jobs. This program also collaborates with departments and agencies to create and implement innovative staffing and assessment approaches to meet the strategic recruitment priorities of the Government of Canada and the renewal of the public service. Key achievements for this program in 2020–21 include maintaining programs that increase access to public service jobs for specific populations; advancing the modernization of the federal government’s job application portal; and validating the fairness and accessibility of a new remote second language testing tool, in the context of COVID-19.

The program continued to oversee the priority entitlements system, which aims to help people cope with career transitions due to various life and employment events. Through the priority entitlement program, the PSC supports the continuous employment of qualified employees, maintaining corporate knowledge and talent. This includes, but is not limited to, support to people who may be more likely to be marginalized, such as individuals who develop a disability.

The Recruitment and Assessment Services Program also worked to reduce barriers in accessing public service jobs, by:

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan

As it administers personnel assessment and development tests, the PSC will continue to monitor aggregated data on the performance of members of all employment equity groups (women, Indigenous people, persons with disabilities, members of visible minorities), ensuring that the tools do not pose non job-related barriers to candidates. The new Oral Language Assessment test will allow for detailed data collection, including input from candidates on their experience taking the test, to assess ease of use and possible barriers.

In addition, the new GC Jobs platform is expected to allow for advanced monitoring capabilities, tracking drop-off rates and representation rates of various groups at different stages of the application process, thus allowing for the collection of detailed data on potentially differentiated friction points for specific groups.

Section 3: Program Links to Gender Results Framework

Core Responsibility: Public Service Hiring and Non-Partisanship

Program Name Education and Skills Development Economic Participation and Prosperity Leadership and Democratic Participation Gender-based Violence and Access to Justice Poverty Reduction, Health and Well-Being Gender Equality around the World
Oversight and Monitoring   checked     checked  
Policy Direction and Support   checked     checked  
Recruitment and Assessment Services checked checked     checked  

Section 4: Program Links to Quality of Life Framework

Core Responsibility: Public Service Hiring and Non-Partisanship

Program Name Prosperity Health Environment Society Good Governance
Oversight and Monitoring checked       checked
Policy Direction and Support checked        
Recruitment and Assessment Services checked        

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