Public Service Commission of Canada’s 2024-2025 Departmental Results Report

On this page

• At a glance
• From the President
• Results – what we achieved
  • Core responsibility: Public Service Hiring and Non-partisanship
  • Internal services
• Spending and human resources
  • Spending
  • Funding
  • Financial statement highlights
  • Human resources
• Supplementary information tables
• Federal tax expenditures
• Corporate information
• Definitions

Copyright information

© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by the President of the Public Service Commission of Canada, 2025

Catalogue Number: SC1-10E-PDF

ISSN: ISSN 2561-0538

Aussi disponible en français sous le titre : Rapport sur les résultats ministériels 2024-2025

At a glance

This departmental results report details Public Service Commission of Canada’s actual accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results outlined in its 2024-25 Departmental Plan.

• Vision, mission, raison d’être and operating context

Key priorities

Public Service Commission of Canada identified the following key priorities for 2024-25:

• Advancing digital recruitment and assessment solutions
• Furthering government-wide priorities related to diversity and inclusion

Highlights for Public Service Commission of Canada in 2024-25

• Total actual spending (including internal services): $100,126,005
• Total full-time equivalent staff (including internal services): 751.

For complete information on Public Service Commission of Canada’s total spending and human resources, read the Spending and human resources section of its full departmental results report.

Summary of results

The following provides a summary of the results the department achieved in 2024-25 under its main areas of activity, called “core responsibilities.”

• Core responsibility: Public Service Hiring and Non-partisanship

  Actual spending: $75,170,673

  Actual full-time equivalent staff: 578

  In fiscal year 2024-25, the Public Service Commission of Canada supported the efficient and inclusive hiring of a skilled and diverse public service. Our key achievements included modernizing recruitment platforms to enhance security, improving accessibility and enhancing user experience. We expanded recruitment initiatives like the Specific Name Referral pilot to increase flexibility in student hiring.

  To strengthen inclusive hiring, we delivered targeted guidance and workshops on reducing barriers and biases, and updated recruitment toolkits for hiring Indigenous Peoples and persons with disabilities. We also helped reinforce political impartiality by processing political activity requests and conducting outreach to raise public servants’ awareness of their responsibilities when engaging in political activities.

  For more information on the Public Service Commission of Canada’s core responsibility, Public Service Hiring and Non-partisanship, read the “Results - what we achieved” section of its departmental results report.

From the President

I am pleased to present the Public Service Commission of Canada’s 2024-25 Departmental Results Report.

This year, we made federal public service hiring more innovative by modernizing our main recruitment systems and assessment services, advancing inclusive hiring and strengthening the integrity of the public service. In a rapidly evolving environment, we remained committed to helping departments and agencies build a skilled, diverse and representative workforce to serve Canadians.

To make the public service recruitment system more secure, accessible and user-friendly, we moved in-person testing to a new online platform and simplified the assessment accommodation process for candidates. We also launched the GC Hiring Managers Hub to streamline access to hiring resources, and we introduced real-time insights on student availability to meet managers’ hiring needs.

We introduced user-centric recruitment solutions that are adaptable to the needs of an evolving workforce, including:

• expanding the Specific Name Referral pilot within the Federal Student Work Experience Program, onboarding more departments, increasing flexibility in student hiring and enabling timely and inclusive hiring decisions
• delivering bias-reduction workshops to over 1 200 human resources (HR) professionals across the Government of Canada
• updating recruitment toolkits for hiring Indigenous Peoples and persons with disabilities
• launching the Empowering Excellence newsletter to share key staffing insights with departments and agencies

We supported reconciliation by relaunching the Inuksugait Resume Inventory as a hiring initiative to help federal departments and agencies meet their obligations under the Nunavut Agreement. Our organization exceeded the 5% target for contracts to Indigenous businesses, reaching 7%. We secured renewed funding to continue leading the Federal Internship Program for Canadians with Disabilities, which strengthens inclusive hiring practices by offering departments and agencies an inventory of diverse and high-potential candidates.

We launched the Diversity and Inclusion Compass, an interactive tool providing year-over-year data on the representation of employment equity groups in each department and agency. This tool supports HR practitioners and hiring managers with evidence-based strategies to address representation gaps.

We upheld the principle of political impartiality by processing requests and granting a total of 85 permissions for candidacy and conducting 34 outreach sessions, raising awareness among 5,500 public servants of their rights and responsibilities regarding political activities.

We also took concrete steps to innovate within our organization by developing an artificial intelligence roadmap and a proof of concept for a client relationship management solution.

We participated in international discussions on federal public service trends and opportunities to share insights and learn from best practices.

I am proud of the progress we have made and of our work to champion a merit-based, non-partisan and representative public service while safeguarding the integrity of the public service staffing system.

Marie-Chantal Girard

President, Public Service Commission of Canada

Results – what we achieved

Core responsibilities and internal services

• Core responsibility: Public Service Hiring and Non-partisanship
• Internal services

Core responsibility: Public Service Hiring and Non-partisanship

In this section

• Description
• Quality of life impacts
• Progress on results
• Details on results
• Key risks
• Resources required to achieve results
• Related government priorities
• Program inventory

Description

The Public Service Commission promotes and safeguards a merit-based, representative and non-partisan public service that delivers results for all Canadians. Through policy direction and guidance, it supports departments and agencies in the hiring of qualified individuals into and within the public service, helping to shape a workforce reflecting Canada’s diversity. It delivers recruitment programs and assessment services supporting the strategic recruitment priorities of the Government of Canada and the renewal of the public service, leveraging modern tools to reduce barriers for Canadians accessing public service jobs. It oversees public service hiring, ensuring the integrity of the hiring process. The PSC provides guidance to employees regarding their legal rights and responsibilities related to political activities and renders decisions on political candidacy, respecting employees’ rights to participate in political activities, while protecting the non-partisan nature of the public service.

Quality of life impacts

The public service hiring and non-partisanship core responsibility contributes to the following domains and indicators from the Quality of Life Framework for Canada:

• Prosperity domain and employment indicator: Merit-based public service hiring has profound implications for employment and job quality. It contributes significantly to the overall quality of life within society. It ensures that people in public service positions come from diverse backgrounds and have the skills and qualifications necessary for their roles, enhancing job satisfaction and performance.
• Confidence in institutions domain: Merit-based hiring fosters public trust in government institutions, contributing to the perception of fairness and equity within Canadian society. Ultimately, a competent and politically neutral public service positively impacts the efficiency of government functions and service delivery and enhances trust in the federal public service.
• Society domain: Inclusive and merit-based hiring builds a capable public workforce that serves the public interest, ultimately improving the overall quality of life for Canadians.

Progress on results

This section details the department’s performance against its targets for each departmental result under Core responsibility: Public Service Hiring and Non-partisanship.

Table 1: The public service efficiently hires the workforce of the future that is capable and ready to deliver results for Canadians

Table 1 shows the target, the date to achieve the target and the actual result for each indicator under the public service efficiently hires the workforce of the future that is capable and ready to deliver results for Canadians in the last three fiscal years.

Table 2: The public service reflects Canada’s diversity

Table 2 shows the target, the date to achieve the target and actual result for each indicator under the public service reflects Canada’s diversity in the last three fiscal years.

Table 3: Canadians are served by a politically impartial public service

Table 3 shows the target, the date to achieve the target and actual result for each indicator under Canadians are served by a politically impartial public service in the last three fiscal years.

Notes

a: This indicator captures the median number of calendar days between the external posting of a position on the GC Jobs website and the first appointment resulting from that external posting.

b: As this indicator is measured through the biennial Staffing and Non-Partisanship Survey, results are not available for fiscal years 2022-23 and 2024-25. The next set of results will be available in fiscal year 2025-26.

c: The data for this indicator is collected through the System-Wide Staffing Audit, which is conducted biennially. As a result, data is available every 2 years, with an expected 2-year interval between each audit cycle’s data collection and publication.

d: The goal for each designated employment equity group is to meet or exceed workforce availability. For 3 of the groups: women, Indigenous Peoples and members of visible minorities, workforce availability is based on data from the 2016 Census. For persons with disabilities, it is derived from the 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability, also conducted by Statistics Canada. The targets reflect the most current workforce availability data available when the 2024-25 Departmental Plan was prepared. The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s Employment Equity in the Public Service of Canada report for fiscal year 2023 to 2024 is now available and will inform future departmental plans.

e: These results reflect the previous fiscal year, as data for the current fiscal year was not yet available when this report was produced. For example, the results reported in this 2024-25 Departmental Results Report correspond to fiscal year 2023-24.

f: There is a slight difference between the representation rates reported by the Public Service Commission of Canada (PSC) in this report and those published by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) for certain employment equity groups in the federal public service. This variance is due to differences in the base populations used: TBS reports on the core public administration, while the PSC’s data reflects departments and agencies subject to the Public Service Employment Act

The Results section of the Infographic for the Public Service Commission of Canada on GC Infobase page provides additional information on results and performance related to its program inventory.

Details on results

The following section describes the results for Public Service Hiring and Non-partisanship in 2024-25 compared with the planned results set out in Public Service Commission of Canada’s Departmental Plan for the year.

The public service efficiently hires the workforce of the future that is capable and ready to deliver results for Canadians.

Results achieved

We supported departments and agencies in building a competent, diverse and inclusive public service through improved staffing guidance, recruitment programs and digital recruitment services. For example, we:

• supported departments with guidance on using generative AI tools responsibly in hiring to reduce risk and increase confidence in applying the tools
• migrated supervised in-person second language tests to a modern digital platform, the Candidate Assessment Tool, leading to more efficient scheduling and streamlined test administration
• improved access and autonomy for candidates requesting accommodation measures for the Reading Comprehension and Written Expression second language tests
  • this resulted in enhanced efficiency, improved user experience and increased confidentiality by reducing the need for HR personnel to be engaged in these requests
• increased the visibility and reach of public service recruitment programs and job opportunities, particularly for applicants with disabilities and those who self-declare as Indigenous, through various marketing initiatives, such as targeted promotional messaging on social media

We made the public service recruitment system more secure, reliable and user-friendly, contributing to a more modern and accessible hiring experience by:

• enhancing system security, reducing vulnerabilities and increasing user trust through multi-factor authentication and backend technology upgrades to GC Jobs
• significantly improving user experience and accessibility across GC Jobs, especially on mobile devices, through design updates and digital support tools
• aligning recruitment processes with government-wide HR and pay transformation efforts, laying the foundation for a more streamlined, effective and future-ready hiring system that reflects industry best practices

We made recruitment programs more inclusive, user-centric and adaptable to evolving workforce needs by:

• fostering early engagement and long-term interest in public service careers through a strategic talent pipeline initiative, which offers students hands-on experience in high-impact digital projects
• making student hiring more inclusive and responsive by expanding the Specific Name Referral pilot, where we engaged with more departments and agencies and aligned referrals with current and future workforce needs
• modernizing student recruitment processes, resulting in:
• greater flexibility to identify and hire eligible students
• improved candidate matching through clearer information and instructions on equity groups and conditions of hybrid work
• enhanced manager tools for searches by specialization and accessing real-time feedback
• increased accessibility through mobile-friendly referral requests

As part of our efforts to modernize student recruitment, we undertook a comprehensive review of the Post-Secondary Co-op/Internship Program to enhance it by identifying key pain points experienced by hiring managers, HR professionals, co-op coordinators and students. As part of the review, we collaborated with a hiring department to pilot the posting of a co-op opportunity on GC Jobs. This pilot aims to improve the visibility of student opportunities, streamline the hiring process and address common recruitment challenges. Its findings will directly inform potential program improvements, supporting a more efficient, inclusive and accessible process for both students and hiring organizations.

The public service reflects Canada’s diversity.

Results achieved

We continued supporting departments and agencies in implementing recent changes to the Public Service Employment Act, resulting in more inclusive hiring practices that address both immediate and future workforce needs. For example, we:

• strengthened the capacity to identify and reduce biases and barriers in assessment methods across the public service by providing 16 targeted workshops to 1 263 HR professionals across the Government of Canada
• provided advice, guidance and workshops to support departments and agencies in mitigating the impact of identified biases and barriers in assessment
• launched the Empowering Excellence newsletter for departments and agencies, with 4 editions published in fiscal year 2024-25, and a fifth in May 2025:
  • supports departments and agencies in implementing inclusive hiring practices
  • provides staffing guidance and promotes modernized recruitment tools

We held targeted outreach and inclusion initiatives to promote a diverse workforce reflective of the Canadian population and candidate engagement, including students. This included:

• increasing awareness of public service careers among students by supporting Deputy Minister University Champions and engaging with academic institutions
• enhancing collaboration and knowledge sharing among university champions through dedicated meetings focused on priorities, challenges and best practices
• improving representation of diverse candidates by participating in federal events with key stakeholders such as the National Managers’ Community, Infinity Network, Federal Youth Network and the Human Resources Council
• expanding our reach to remote regions such as the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and the Yukon through outreach activities, including career fairs and information sessions
• providing tailored support (mentorship, onboarding and networking) to students with disabilities and Indigenous students through the Employment Opportunity for Students with Disabilities and the Indigenous Student Employment Opportunity programs
• strengthening post-graduation support for program participants through internal initiatives like the Virtual Door to Talent with Disabilities and Indigenous Career Pathways

We made progress in reconciliation and in building a more accessible and representative public service. As part of our contribution to the Whole-of-Government Inuit Employment Plan, we:

• relaunched the Inuksugait Resume Inventory, incorporating user feedback to improve usability
• supported immediate hiring needs by providing departments with timely access to an inventory of Inuit candidates

In addition, we:

• improved long-term employment outcomes for persons with disabilities in the federal public service through the Federal Internship Program for Canadians with Disabilities
  • secured renewed funding for the program and enhanced onboarding, mentorship and outreach as well as deepened collaboration with partners
  • 40 interns were active through the program, across 23 departments and agencies, representing 19 groups and levels, in partnership with their managers
  • 70% of these interns were retained in indeterminate positions or had their terms extended following their 2-year internship
  • 88% of hiring managers reported the program left them feeling equipped to hire and integrate persons with disabilities
• supported the recruitment of Indigenous Peoples and persons with disabilities through updated toolkits aligned with the Inclusive Recruitment Toolkit, featuring one-page printable guides for practical use
  • launched in June 2025, the final versions of the toolkits were supported by a social media campaign and stakeholder presentations
• improved accessibility for job opportunities for persons with disabilities through targeted promotion using Google Ads, directing more candidates to relevant resources and tools
• supported departments and agencies in meeting the Government of Canada’s goal of hiring 5 000 persons with disabilities, which guided workforce availability targets

We reinforced our commitment to transparency and inclusive hiring through public-service-wide audits. This includes:

• increasing awareness of gaps in acting appointments through our publication of the Audit of Employment Equity Representation in Acting Appointments (September 2024)
  • we shared findings of the audit with employment equity groups, HR professionals and public service unions
  • we made recommendations for the Public Service Commission of Canada, as a central agency, and for deputy heads of departments and agencies to improve opportunities for under-represented groups
• enhancing understanding of access issues in early hiring stages through our publication of the Audit on Access in the Pre-assessment Process (June 2025)
  • findings will be more widely shared in the fall of 2025 to inform improvements across the public service

Canadians are served by a politically impartial public service.

Results achieved

We upheld the principle of political impartiality while respecting public servants’ rights to political participation:

• through our work in rendering decisions on requests by employees for permission to seek nomination and be candidates in elections, public servants were able to participate in election processes
• we granted 85 permissions to run as candidates in elections, with 32 at the municipal level, 10 at the provincial/territorial level, and 43 at the federal level
• we addressed allegations of improper political activity through a transparent and accountable process, receiving 22 allegations over the course of the fiscal year and 3 founded investigations.

Through focused outreach and education, we sought to enhance public servants’ understanding of their roles and responsibilities related to political activities:

• we provided 34 outreach sessions to over 5 500 public servants and managers to increase their awareness of candidacy requirements, permissible political activities and the integral role of managers in maintaining political impartiality
• we published new guidance on public servants, political activities and social media

Key risks

Program and service delivery

In 2024-25, our program and service delivery were targeted to supporting departments and agencies in an evolving staffing environment. The context of Budget 2023 reduction commitments, which included reductions in our operating budget, translated into a constrained capacity to program and service delivery to support departments and agencies. We streamlined our operations and revamped our organizational structure to better support departments in this evolving context. We continued to deliver on recruitment strategies to maintain effective and inclusive hiring practices and advance efforts in reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. In the context of elections that took place at the various levels of government, we ensured that all candidacy requests were processed with due diligence in a timely manner.

To mitigate the risk of not meeting needs for our program and service delivery, we prioritized our work to support evolving needs and aligned our departmental staffing strategy to address those needs. To support other departments and agencies in their recruitment strategies, we undertook targeted outreach and engagement activities, including:

• collaborating with Deputy Minister University Champions to engage with post-secondary institutions across the country
• working with departments on specific student and skills-based recruitment needs (for example, students for the 2025 G7 Summit; nurses for Indigenous Service Canada)
• working with employment equity and official languages associations across Canada
• partnering with interdepartmental networks, such as GC Students and the Federal Youth Network to host in-person learning days aimed at reaching students and young public servants
• conducting engagement in Nunavut in collaboration with Pilimmaksaivik (the Federal Centre of Excellence for Inuit Employment) and CanNor (the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency)  in support to the 2023-2033 Whole-of-Government Inuit Employment Plan

These initiatives helped connect with students possessing high-demand skillsets and promoted awareness of public service opportunities.

To mitigate the risk of bias and barriers in public service staffing, we:

• provided guidance to departments on applying employment equity provisions and on removing, reducing and mitigating biases and barriers, particularly in the context of changes to the Public Service Employment Regulations and the selection of employees for retention or layoff
• revamped recruitment toolkits for Indigenous Peoples and persons with disabilities, aligning them with the Inclusive Recruitment Toolkit to form a cohesive suite of best-practice resources
• worked to improve understanding and application of veterans’ preference provisions in staffing

We measured the perception on merit in our 2023 Staffing and Non-Partisanship Survey, which reflected that:

• 72% of public servants believed their department or agency’s diversity and inclusion initiatives were adequate to support a representative workforce
• 84% of public servants agreed that their work unit hired individuals capable of doing the job, a percentage that has held steady since 2021

Lastly, we launched the Diversity and Inclusion Compass (accessible only on the Government of Canada network), an interactive tool, to enhance transparency and tracking by providing 5 years of departmental and agency-level data on the representation and mobility of employment equity groups. For more details on this initiative, please refer to the Innovation section of this report.

Digital transformation

The growing demand for accessible recruitment and assessment platforms, combined with rising IT costs, cybersecurity threats, reliance on external partners and challenges in attracting and retaining specialized digital talent, posed risks to digital innovation and to maintaining secure, modern systems.

To mitigate these risks, we:

• implemented modern tools and processes that automate and enhance security monitoring, improving system protection and resilience
• strengthened license renewal processes to reduce IT licensing costs, and decommissioned outdated infrastructure, resulting in greater efficiency, improved security posture and cost savings

These measures supported continued progress in digital transformation while managing within financial constraints and safeguarding IT infrastructure.
To address the growing need for accessible recruitment technology and robust, reliable IT systems, we advanced this goal by:

• making significant investments to reduce technical debt, including completing the Operating System Modernization Initiative, which upgraded our server infrastructure
• finalizing the E-Testing Project, introducing modern, energy-efficient computers in our test centres
• successfully decommissioning aging systems such as Impromptu, the Online Testing Facility and online internet testing

To improve accessibility and performance of online services, we:

• implemented enhancements to the GC Jobs website
• completed technology upgrades to the GC Jobs platform to strengthen security and improve performance, laying the foundation for a more user-friendly and intuitive experience

In addition, our social media team developed a business case to integrate the Hootsuite Application Programming Interface, a social media management platform, into the Public Service Resourcing System. For more details on this initiative, please refer to the Innovation section of this report.

Resources required to achieve results

Table 4: Snapshot of resources required for Public Service Hiring and Non-partisanship

Table 4 provides a summary of the planned and actual spending and full-time equivalents required to achieve results.

The Finances section of the Infographic for the Public Service Commission of Canada on GC Infobase page and the People section of the Infographic for the Public Service Commission of Canada on GC Infobase page provide complete financial and human resources information related to its program inventory.

Related government-wide priorities

This section highlights government priorities that are being addressed through this core responsibility.

Gender-based analysis plus

We applied a GBA Plus lens across our programs, services and research activities to support inclusive and equitable outcomes.

We continued delivering the Employment Opportunity for Students with Disabilities and the Indigenous Student Employment Opportunity programs, offering mentorship, onboarding and tailored career development. Recruitment toolkits for Indigenous Peoples and persons with disabilities were updated and aligned with the Inclusive Recruitment Toolkit, creating a cohesive and accessible suite of resources.

To strengthen data-informed decision-making:

• we collected employment equity and subgroup data for second language evaluation results, with pass rate analysis planned for 2025-26
• implemented a feedback survey in the Candidate Assessment Tool system, and developed a database to analyze responses by equity group
• reviewed the Test of Judgement for fairness based on test data, and introduced an action plan to improve accommodation measures for the oral language test based on analysis of candidate feedback

We also published the 2023 Staffing and Non-Partisanship Survey: Thematic Report on the Results for Employment Equity Groups and Equity-Seeking Groups, which provided results broken down by equity-seeking group, gender, 2SLGBTQIA+ identity, religion, family status and marital status.

Several research initiatives were released to support GBA Plus reporting and insights, including:

• the Diversity and Inclusion Compass
• a Citizenship of Applicants and External Appointments analysis
• employment equity separation trends
• studies on promotions, acting appointments and non-advertised staffing

Within the Priority Entitlements Program, we:

• maintained data on employment equity groups to support inclusive hiring
• developed an employment equity and veterans action plan
• promoted the representation of equity groups and veterans with priority entitlements

United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals

Our activities under our public service hiring and non-partisanship core responsibility support Canada’s efforts to address the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals. We are committed to advancing the following 3 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development:

• Goal 10: Advance reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and take action to reduce inequality
• Goal 12: Reduce waste and transition to zero-emission vehicles
• Goal 13: Take action on climate change and its impacts

More information on the Public Service Commission of Canada’s contributions to Canada’s Federal Implementation Plan on the 2030 Agenda and the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy can be found in our Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy.

Innovation

In 2024-25, we tested and implemented several high-impact innovations to enhance recruitment services, leverage digital tools and strengthen data-informed decision-making across our organization.

Digital Enablement and AI Readiness

• Our Information Technology Services hosted an internal hackathon where we gathered small, cross-functional teams over 2 days to develop practical solutions to common challenges
• Resulted in creation of an Application Monitoring Tool, which improves our ability to proactively detect and resolve technical issues in our IT environment
• With Public Services and Procurement Canada, we developed a proof-of-concept client relationship management solution to improve how client engagement is tracked and supported
• We created a comprehensive AI roadmap to assess AI maturity, prioritize use cases and define a 3-year implementation plan
• We developed a targeted learning strategy to build digital and AI competencies across our organization
• This strategy aligns with the Government of Canada’s first artificial intelligence strategy for the federal public service
• It also emphasizes the responsible and ethical use of AI, supporting employee adoption of digital tools while maintaining public trust

Policy and Communications

• To foster a culture of innovation, we promoted employee learning on AI and digital transformation and planned future initiatives
• We are integrating Hootsuite Application Program Interface to automatically publish job posters submitted through the Public Service Resourcing System to GC Jobs’ Facebook and X accounts
• It includes a quality-control mechanism, enabling our social media team to review content before publication, modernizing operations and improving outreach efficiency

Data Innovation

• We launched the Diversity and Inclusion Compass (accessible only on the Government of Canada network) an interactive data visualization tool available to federal departments and agencies that enables users to explore government-wide hiring and staffing progress for employment equity groups
• provides both year-over-year and 5-year snapshots of representation and mobility across departments and occupational categories
• helps departments track progress and identify areas for improvement
• We invested in developing an Enterprise Data Reporting System that centralizes our data holdings, provides improved self-serve reporting capabilities and aligns with industry best practice reporting capabilities

Recruitment Service Enhancements

• We expanded the Specific Name Referral pilot, onboarding more departments and increasing flexibility in student hiring, enabling timely and inclusive hiring decisions
• Phase 1 survey results showed 92% satisfaction among managers who used the approach
• We launched the GC Hiring Managers Hub to improve access to recruitment tools and guidance. The hub:
• provides a one-stop web page for public service hiring managers
• streamlines access to recruitment programs, initiatives and tools
• supports more efficient and informed hiring practices

Program inventory

Public service hiring and non-partisanship is supported by the following programs:

• Program 1: Policy Direction and Support
• Program 2: Recruitment and Assessment Services
• Program 3: Oversight and Monitoring

Additional information related to the program inventory for Public service hiring and non-partisanship is available on the Results page on GC InfoBase

Internal services

In this section

• Description
• Progress on results
• Resources required to achieve results
• Contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses

Description

Internal services refer to the activities and resources that support a department in its work to meet its corporate obligations and deliver its programs. The 10 categories of internal services are:

• Management and Oversight Services
• Communications Services
• Legal Services
• Human Resources Management
• Financial Management
• Information Management
• Information Technology
• Real Property
• Materiel
• Acquisitions

Progress on results

This section presents details on how the department performed to achieve results and meet targets for internal services.

Pay Accuracy and Process Improvements

To support accurate and timely pay for employees, we implemented targeted actions to strengthen internal processes, raise awareness and reduce errors that lead to pay issues. Key initiatives included:

• responding to employee pay inquiries and escalating unresolved cases to the pay centre or its points of delivery
• collaboration between the HR and finance teams to better monitor salary overpayments, underpayments and emergency salary advances
• improving the accuracy of pay action requests to minimize rejections and processing delays
• delivering information sessions on compensation and benefits to build awareness among HR professionals and managers
• sending regular reminders to managers about staffing action end dates to support proactive planning and avoid pay disruptions
• offering quarterly timeliness training and sharing results with vice-presidents to reinforce accountability
• analyzing pay issue trends to identify process improvements and reduce risk of negative impacts

We also formalized a memorandum of understanding with Public Services and Procurement Canada, granting our designated compensation support team enhanced access to the pay system. This enabled more efficient processing of specific pay transactions to reduce the risk of delay and pay issues.

In parallel, we advanced the implementation of the Unified Actions for Pay, reinforcing best practices in HR and pay processing with a focus on data quality, timeliness and reliability.

People Management and Inclusion

We prioritized a people-first approach rooted in health, respect and inclusion. Strategic efforts focused on identifying systemic barriers and fostering a modern and equitable workplace. We:

• leveraged data from the Public Service Employee Survey, our internal pulse surveys, exit interviews, HR indicators and internal consultations (Have Your Say survey) to assess and improve inclusion and psychological safety
• the data informed targeted actions and measurable goals to ensure all employees feel respected and valued
• advanced all 10 departmental commitments under the Clerk of the Privy Council’s Call to Action on Anti-Racism, Equity, and Inclusion in the Federal Public Service, including enhanced capacity to analyze employment equity data to support informed action on representation, appointments and departures
• launched a refreshed departmental champion program to foster employee-driven inclusion and create safe spaces through enhanced governance and community empowerment
• made measurable progress toward equity goals within our organization, where visible minority representation increased from 20.8% to 21.8% and representation of persons with disabilities rose from 11.9% to 14.2% since 2023-24
• integrated values and ethics into performance management and talent development frameworks, reinforcing integrity and professionalism
  • this included learning opportunities on psychological safety, non-partisanship and ethical decision-making through real-world scenario discussions

Workplace Modernization

Through the Workplace Evolution Project, we continued to support a modern, accessible and activity-based work environment. Key initiatives included:

• launching the initiative to replace desks with electric sit-stand stations and dual-monitor ergonomic arms to enhance accessibility and employee wellness
• designing hybrid “neighbourhoods” to co-locate teams and foster collaboration in a flexible work setting

Digital Infrastructure and Service Delivery

To strengthen internal operations and support digital service delivery, we prioritized technical debt remediation and modernization of aging infrastructure. Key achievements included:

• decommissioning 72 legacy servers and migrating 27 servers, 31 applications and 22 databases to supported technologies, significantly improving system stability and security
• deploying 66 modern, energy-efficient machines across our test centres, enabling more reliable and secure remote technical support
• retiring aging systems including Impromptu, the Online Testing Facility and online internet testing, reducing vulnerabilities and streamlining our digital ecosystem

These actions contributed to a more sustainable, secure, and modern IT environment, enhancing our services and delivering greater value to Canadians.

Resources required to achieve results

Table 5: Resources required to achieve results for internal services this year

Table 5 provides a summary of the planned and actual spending and full-time equivalents required to achieve results.

The Finances section of the Infographic for the Public Service Commission of Canada on GC Infobase and the People section of the Infographic for Public Service Commission of Canada on GC Infobase provide complete financial and human resources information related to its program inventory.

Contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses

Government of Canada departments are required to award at least 5% of the total value of contracts to Indigenous businesses every year.

Public Service Commission of Canada results for 2024-25:

Table 6: Total value of contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses¹

As shown in Table 6, The Public Service Commission of Canada awarded 7% of the total value of all contracts to Indigenous businesses for the fiscal year.

In its 2025-26 Departmental Plan, the Public Service Commission of Canada estimated that it would award 5% of the total value of its contracts to Indigenous businesses by the end of 2024-25.

To achieve this target by March 31, 2025, we implemented the following measures:

• complied with the Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business
• complied with modern treaty obligations in Comprehensive Land Claims Areas, respecting applicable rules, procedures and regulations
• participated in training provided by Indigenous Services Canada to strengthen internal procurement knowledge
• applied the guidance on contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses to inform procurement decisions
• proactively informed Indigenous businesses and partners of upcoming opportunities through requests for proposals
• collaborated with program clients and partners to identify and promote opportunities that consider Indigenous interests
• evaluated past procurement results and adjusted procurement plans to meet the 5% target

To sustain and build on this progress, we introduced the following mechanisms in our procurement management framework to achieve the target by March 31, 2026:

• mandated the voluntary set-aside provision under the Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business for specific services
• responded to Indigenous Services Canada’s annual call letter by submitting our 2025-27 procurement plan
• developed our Indigenous Procurement Planning Template (2025-2027) to guide future procurement activities
• required all procurement staff to complete mandatory training courses related to Indigenous procurement

These actions reflect our commitment to reconciliation and inclusive procurement practices that support Indigenous business growth and participation in federal contracting.

Spending and human resources

In this section

• Spending
• Funding
• Financial statement highlights
• Human resources

Spending

This section presents an overview of the department’s actual and planned expenditures from 2022-23 to 2027-28.

Refocusing Government Spending

In Budget 2023, the government committed to reducing spending by $14.1 billion over 5 years, starting in 2023-24, and by $4.1 billion annually after that.

As part of meeting this commitment, we identified the following spending reductions:

• 2024-25: $ 1,414,000
• 2025-26: $ 2,219,000
• 2026-27 and after: $ 3,322,000

To achieve these reductions during 2024-25, we implemented a series of cost-saving measures, including:

• realigning and streamlining operations to improve efficiency
• centralizing administrative support for internal services under a unified service delivery model
• internally reallocating resources to priority areas
• automating and digitizing select functions and processes to reduce manual workload

While reductions in travel and professional services were planned, expenditures in these areas were slightly higher than in 2023-24. This was due to the continued ramp-up of post-pandemic outreach activities, including engagement with external stakeholders and international partners to strengthen relationships and advance our mandate.

In terms of professional services, we strategically invested in subject-matter experts to assess and develop a roadmap for automation and the responsible use of artificial intelligence, laying the groundwork for long-term service efficiencies.

Other savings were realized through natural attrition and internal resource realignment, supported by revised organizational design. These efforts contributed meaningfully to meeting our share of the Budget 2023 reduction targets.

Budgetary performance summary

Table 7: Actual three-year spending on core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)

Table 7 shows the money that Public Service Commission of Canada spent in each of the past three years on its core responsibilities and on internal services.

Analysis of the past three years of spending:

Departmental spending has varied over the past 3 fiscal years, largely influenced by staffing levels and the implementation of collective agreements:

• from 2022-23 to 2023-24, spending changed from $98.9 million to $106.9 million, reflecting an increase of $8 million
• mainly due to the ratification of new collective agreements, which resulted in retroactive and one-time lump-sum payments
• from 2023-24 to 2024-25, spending decreased from $106.9 million to $100.1 million, a reduction of $6.8 million
• mainly due to a combination of strategies put in place to meet the Budget 2023 reduction commitment and the completion of retroactive payments and one-time lump-sum payments associated with collective agreements that were issued in the previous fiscal year
• the above factors contributed to the overall decline in spending, reflecting a shift toward more streamlined operations and stabilized compensation costs
• in 2024-25, we revised the methodology for aligning and reporting resources on core responsibilities and internal services to better align spending and human resources to areas of program activities
• this is reflected in the increase in program spending and a decrease in internal services spending from 2023-24 to 2024-25

The Finances section of the Infographic for the Public Service Commission of Canada on GC Infobase offers more financial information from previous years.

Table 8: Planned three-year spending on core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)

Table 8 shows Public Service Commission of Canada’s planned spending for each of the next three years on its core responsibilities and on internal services.

Analysis of the next three years of spending:

Planned spending is expected to decrease from $103.2 million in 2025-26 to $101.6 million in 2026-27 and $101.4 million in 2027-28, representing a total reduction of $1.8 million.

This decrease is primarily attributed to our commitment toward Budget 2023 reductions, which aims to streamline operations and enhance fiscal sustainability across departments. Our planned reductions reflect our continued efforts to align resources with evolving priorities while maintaining service excellence and operational efficiency.

The Finances section of the Infographic for Public Service Commission of Canada on GC Infobase offers more detailed financial information related to future years.

Funding

This section provides an overview of the department’s voted and statutory funding for its core responsibilities and for internal services. Consult the Government of Canada budgets and expenditures for further information on funding authorities.

Graph 1: Approved funding (statutory and voted) over a 6-year period

Consult the Public Accounts of Canada for further information on Public Service Commission of Canada’s departmental voted and statutory expenditures.

Financial statement highlights

Public Service Commission of Canada’s Financial Statements (Unaudited) for the Year Ended March 31, 2025.

Table 9: Condensed Statement of Operations (unaudited) for the year ended March 31, 2025 (dollars)

Table 9 summarizes the expenses and revenues for 2024-25 which net to the cost of operations before government funding and transfers.

Analysis of expenses and revenues for 2024-25

Total expenses for 2024-25 were $132.8 million, representing a $4.4 million decrease from the total expenses planned of $137.2 million. This difference is mainly sourced from the difference between actual revenues and planned revenues of $5.8 million. The planned revenues reflect the total authority for revenue for the PSC at $14.3 million, while the actual revenues align with forecasted revenue for the fiscal year based on the level of demand for products and services provided by the PSC. The total net cost of operations is higher than planned results by $1.4 million mainly due to collective agreement increases for employees' salary.

The 2024-25 planned results information is provided in Public Service Commission of Canada’s Future-Oriented Statement of Operations and Notes 2024-25.

Table 10: Condensed Statement of Operations (unaudited) for 2023-24 and 2024-25 (dollars)

Table 10 summarizes actual expenses and revenues and shows the net cost of operations before government funding and transfers.

Analysis of differences in expenses and revenues between 2023-24 and 2024-25

Total expenses decreased from $142.0 million in 2023-24 to $132.8 million in 2024-25. The net decrease of $9.2 million was due to the implementation of Refocusing Government Spending where efficiencies were achieved and there was a reduction of expenditures through employee attrition. In addition, the variance is a result of additional expenditures that were incurred in 2023-24 for retroactive and lump-sum payments for employees' salary following the implementation of new collective agreements for the fiscal year 2023-24. The slight increase in revenues of $0.3 million is mainly attributed to a price adjustment to reflect the higher cost of products and services following collective agreement increases.

Table 11: Condensed Statement of Financial Position (unaudited) as of March 31, 2025 (dollars)

Table 11 provides a brief snapshot of the amounts the department owes or must spend (liabilities) and its available resources (assets), which helps to indicate its ability to carry out programs and services.

Analysis of department’s liabilities and assets since last fiscal year

The department's net financial position remains stable from 2023-24 to 2024-25. The net increase in total net financial assets of $1.4 million is mainly due to an increase in the account from the Consolidated Revenue Fund resulting from goods and services received during the fiscal year but pending invoices at the fiscal year end.

Human resources

This section presents an overview of the department’s actual and planned human resources from 2022-23 to 2027-28.

Table 12: Actual human resources for core responsibilities and internal services

Table 12 shows a summary in full-time equivalents of human resources for Public Service Commission of Canada’s core responsibilities and for its internal services for the previous three fiscal years.

Analysis of human resources for the last three years

The number of full-time equivalents (FTEs) declined steadily over the past 3 fiscal years, decreasing from 867 in 2022-23 to 853 in 2023-24, and further to 751 in 2024-25.

This reduction of 116 FTEs over the 3-year period is primarily attributed to the realignment and streamlining of operations. We adapted to evolving priorities and implemented efficiency measures to optimize resource use.

Table 13: Human resources planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services

Table 13 shows the planned full-time equivalents for each of Public Service Commission of Canada’s core responsibilities and for its internal services for the next three years. Human resources for the current fiscal year are forecast based on year to date.

Analysis of human resources for the next three years

The number of full-time equivalents (FTEs) is projected to decline from 820 in 2025-26 to 808 in 2026-27, with staffing levels expected to remain stable at 808 in 2027-28.

This gradual reduction reflects our continued efforts to realign and streamline operations, ensuring that resources are optimized to support evolving priorities while maintaining service delivery and operational efficiency.

Supplementary information tables

The following supplementary information tables are available on Public Service Commission of Canada’s website:

• Gender‑based analysis plus

Information on the Public Service Commission of Canada’s departmental sustainable development strategy can be found on the Public Service Commission of Canada’s website.

Federal tax expenditures

The tax system can be used to achieve public policy objectives through the application of special measures such as low tax rates, exemptions, deductions, deferrals and credits. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for these measures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures. This report also provides detailed background information on tax expenditures, including descriptions, objectives, historical information and references to related federal spending programs as well as evaluations and GBA Plus of tax expenditures.

Corporate information

Departmental profile

Appropriate minister(s):

The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, P.C., K.C., M.P.

Institutional head:

Marie-Chantal Girard, President

Ministerial portfolio:

The Public Service Commission of Canada is part of the Privy Council Office portfolio

Enabling instrument(s):

Public Service Employment Act (S.C. 2003, c.22. 12, 13)

Year of incorporation / commencement:

1908

Other:

Public Service Commission of Canada website

Departmental contact information

Mailing address:

Public Service Commission of Canada
22 Eddy Street
Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0M7

Email:

cfp.infocom.psc@cfp-psc.gc.ca

Website(s):

Public Service Commission’s website

Definitions

List of terms

appropriation (crédit)

Any authority of Parliament to pay money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

budgetary expenditures (dépenses budgétaires)

Operating and capital expenditures; transfer payments to other levels of government, departments or individuals; and payments to Crown corporations.

core responsibility (responsabilité essentielle)

An enduring function or role of a department. The departmental results listed for a core responsibility reflect the outcomes that the department seeks to influence or achieve.

Departmental Plan (plan ministériel)

A report that outlines the anticipated activities and expected performance of an appropriated department over a 3-year period. Departmental Plans are usually tabled in Parliament in spring.

departmental priority (priorité)

A plan, project or activity that a department focuses and reports on during a specific planning period. Priorities represent the most important things to be done or those to be addressed first to help achieve the desired departmental results.

departmental result (résultat ministériel)

A high-level outcome related to the core responsibilities of a department.

departmental result indicator (indicateur de résultat ministériel)

A quantitative or qualitative measure that assesses progress toward a departmental result.

departmental results framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)

A framework that connects the department’s core responsibilities to its departmental results and departmental result indicators.

Departmental Results Report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)

A report outlining a department’s accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results set out in the corresponding Departmental Plan.

Full-time equivalent (équivalent temps plein)

Measures the person years in a departmental budget. An employee’s scheduled hours per week divided by the employer’s hours for a full-time workweek calculates a full-time equivalent. For example, an employee who works 20 hours in a 40-hour standard workweek represents a 0.5 full-time equivalent.

Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) (analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS Plus])

An analytical tool that helps to understand the ways diverse individuals experience policies, programs and other initiatives. Applying GBA Plus to policies, programs and other initiatives helps to identify the different needs of the people affected, the ways to be more responsive and inclusive, and the methods to anticipate and mitigate potential barriers to accessing or benefitting from the initiative. GBA Plus goes beyond biological (sex) and socio-cultural (gender) differences to consider other factors, such as age, disability, education, ethnicity, economic status, geography (including rurality), language, race, religion, and sexual orientation.

government priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)

For the purpose of the 2024-25 Departmental Results Report, government priorities are the high-level themes outlining the government’s agenda as announced in the 2021 Speech from the Throne

horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)

A program, project or other initiative where two or more federal departments receive funding to work collaboratively on a shared outcome usually linked to a government priority, and where the ministers involved agree to designate it as horizontal. Specific reporting requirements apply, including that the lead department must report on combined expenditures and results.

Indigenous business (entreprise autochtones)

For the purposes of a Departmental Result Report, this includes any entity that meets the Indigenous Services Canada’s criteria of being owned and operated by Elders, band and tribal councils, registered in the Indigenous Business Directory or registered on a modern treaty beneficiary business list.

non‑budgetary expenditures (dépenses non budgétaires)

Net outlays and receipts related to loans, investments and advances, which change the composition of the financial assets of the Government of Canada.

performance (rendement)

What a department did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the department intended to achieve, and how well lessons learned have been identified.

performance indicator (indicateur de rendement)

A qualitative or quantitative measure that assesses progress toward a departmental-level or program-level result, or the expected outputs or outcomes of a program, policy or initiative.

plan (plan)

The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how a department intends to achieve its priorities and associated results. Generally, a plan will explain the logic behind the strategies chosen and tend to focus on actions that lead to the expected result.

planned spending (dépenses prévues)

For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to the amounts presented in Main Estimates. Departments must determine their planned spending and be able to defend the financial numbers presented in their Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports.

program (programme)

An Individual, group, or combination of services and activities managed together within a department and focused on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.

program inventory (répertoire des programmes)

A listing that identifies all the department’s programs and the resources that contribute to delivering on the department’s core responsibilities and achieving its results.

result (résultat)

An outcome or output related to the activities of a department, policy, program or initiative.

statutory expenditures (dépenses législatives)

Spending approved through legislation passed in Parliament, other than appropriation acts. The legislation sets out the purpose and the terms and conditions of the expenditures.

target (cible)

A quantitative or qualitative, measurable goal that a department, program or initiative plans to achieve within a specified time period.

voted expenditures (dépenses votées)

Spending approved annually through an appropriation act passed in Parliament. The vote also outlines the conditions that govern the spending.