Long descriptions
| Year | Number of Appointments |
|---|---|
| 1973 | 961 |
| 1975 | 1,122 |
| 1980 | 443 |
| 1990 | 1,529 |
| 2000 | 656 |
| 2005 | 469 |
| 2006 | 550 |
| 2007 | 453 |
| 2008 | 984 |
| 2009 | 1,697 |
Source: PSC, Post-Secondary Recruitment to the Public Service (2002) and PSC Annual Reports
(If Recruited/Hired through the PSR Program)
"In your view, how accurate an assessment of applicants' abilities and skills are provided through each of the PSR standardized test?"
| PSR Standardized Tests | Not Accurate (%) |
Moderately Accurate (%) |
Highly Accurate (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written Communication Proficiency Test | 11% | 23% | 66% |
| Graduate Recruitment Test | 14% | 29% | 58% |
| Situational Judgment Test | 17% | 26% | 57% |
N=118
Source : EKOS Research Associates Inc.; Evaluation of the PSR Program (Wave 4), 2009
The logic model identifies three main areas of activity for the PSR Program:
- Communication, outreach and marketing: A main activity of the PSR Program involves communication, outreach and marketing of the program to internal (hiring managers and human resources (HR) advisors) and external (universities and students) users. Internally, the PSR Program promotes the program and the different services available (i.e., tested general inventory, tested career choices, untested postings) to hiring managers and HR advisors throughout the public service. Externally, the success of the PSR Program depends upon the effective participation of universities across Canada. Through its partners (universities across Canada), the PSC promotes the PSR Program and promotes the Government of Canada as an employer of choice. Career fairs are one important vehicle used to promote the PSR Program and careers in the federal public service. As well, the presence of the program on jobs.gc.ca is also important to the successful outreach of the program.
- Testing and evaluation services: Internal clients (hiring managers and HR advisors) using the PSR Program identify their criteria for the testing and / or screening of candidates. Recruitment of post-secondary graduates is conducted on-line at jobs.gc.ca. All applicants are required to complete the tests required for the option or stream to which they are applying (whether a tested career choice or the general inventory). The PSR Program tests thousands of applicants annually, both nationally and internationally. Three tests are currently available (the Graduate Recrutiment Test, the Situational Judgment Test and the Written Communication Proficiency Test). The PSC administers these tests (which involves facility rental, supervision, shipping of tests, etc.). Applicants are evaluated by the PSR Program, based on test results and their application, using the criteria identified by the hiring manager. Test results must be scored and applicants assessed against criteria for specific positions or ranked within the general inventory. Feedback is provided to applicants electronically.
- Program delivery and management: A third area of activity for the PSR Program concerns delivery and management. Under this activity, the PSR Program uses environmental scanning and needs analysis processes, provides advice on the use of the Program and the Statement of Merit Criteria, prepares job postings, facilitates special accommodation for testing to address the particular needs of disabled applicants, develops performance measures and analyzes and reports on performance.
Each of these areas of activity results in a core output. The communication, outreach and marketing activities results in marketing tools, promotional activities and analyses of client satisfaction data. The testing and evaluating services results in tested and partially assessed candidates, candidate pools and inventories and referrals to clients. Finally, the program delivery and management activities result in environmental scans, expert advice to clients, reports on business metrics and business planning.
Immediate outcomes resulting from activities and outputs linked to communication, outreach and marketing are identified as:
- Highly qualified candidates applying to the PSR Program: The communication, outreach and marketing activities of the PSR Program, including promotional activities such as career fairs, distribution of information on the public service as an employer and presence of the program on jobs.gc.ca will result in qualified candidates applying to the PSR Program.
- Client understanding of the PSR Program: Internal communication and outreach to hiring organizations will result in client understanding of the choices available to them within the Program (tested general inventory, tested and untested career choices) and how this program can support their efforts to recruit entry-level employees and meet their renewal needs.
- Use of the PSR Program for recruitment needs: Client understanding of the PSR Program will naturally lead to widespread use of the PSR Program for entry-level recruitment needs.
Immediate outcomes resulting from activities and outputs related to testing and evaluation services are identified as:
- Federal organizations access and use an existing source of centralized, responsive, cost-effective, government-wide expertise for recent graduates: As noted, the evaluation of the PSR Program candidates will result in tested and partially-assessed candidates as well as candidate pools and inventories. The immediate outcome involves the access and use of this centralized source of partially-assessed potential recruits for entry-level positions.
- Qualified referrals are available for staffing: Given the testing and evaluation undertaken with the PSR Program applicants and the ability to screen based on this criterion, hiring organizations and managers will have access to qualified referrals, based on their hiring criteria, as an immediate outcome.
Immediate outcomes resulting from activities and outputs related to program delivery and management are identified as:
- Integration of the PSR Program into client HR plans: With the advice and information provided by the PSR Program and the awareness and understanding of the Program developed through communication and outreach, the outcome will be the integration of the PSR Program into HR plans. As such, the PSR Program will become an integral component of entry-level recruitment for hiring departments and agencies.
- The PSR Program increases business focus for strategic decision-making: With the availability of the PSR Program, awareness and understanding of this program by hiring organizations and managers, strategic advice offered by the Program and performance measurement available, there should be an increase in strategic decision-making around entry-level recruitment as an outcome.
- PSR environment is continuously improved: Through ongoing environmental scanning, needs analyses and performance measurement, the outcome will be a continuously improving PSR environment.
Two sets of intermediate outcomes of the PSR Program can be identified. The first involves:
- The federal public service is branded to graduates as an employer of choice: Through its communication and outreach efforts to students and campuses nationally, the PSR Program plays an important role in promoting and branding the public service as an employer of choice. This branding of the public service is an intermediate outcome, which further strengthens its ability to attract high quality candidates and supports the extent to which hiring organizations can meet Public Service Renewal commitments.
- The PSR Program is one locus of change and modernization in the public service: The PSR Program can support hiring organizations in meeting Public Service Renewal targets, thus contributing to the strengthening and modernization of the public service.
- Tighter relationships with stakeholders / beneficiaries and increased PSR Program's knowledge of their needs: Through ongoing internal communication and outreach, as well as a close working relationship with hiring organizations using the PSR Program, an intermediate outcome will be a closer relationship developing between stakeholders and the Program. This will lead to a greater understanding of the PSR Program and enable it better able to meet the recruitment needs of hiring organizations.
A second set of intermediate outcomes involve:
- A centralized staffing process focussed on Public Service Renewal at an entry level and supporting the objectives of the Privy Council Office: The integration of PSR into HR planning and a continuously improving PSR environment, as well as increased and ongoing use of the Program, will result in the intermediate outcome of a centralized staffing process focussed on Public Service Renewal at an entry level and will support the objectives of the Privy Council Office. In turn, this can be expected to reduce the duplication in recruitment efforts at the entry level, thereby increasing efficiencies.
- The PSR Program becomes a trusted partner and knowledge broker in delivering quality referrals: With a close working relationship between the PSR Program and client organizations, another intermediate outcome will be the PSR Program becoming a trusted partner.
- The PSR Program has increased business focus for strategic decision-making and continuous improvement: This intermediate outcome will flow naturally from the increased business focus for strategic decision-making.
- Federal organizations are supported in their management of HR for the delivery of their programs and services: The PSR Program, through its effective centralized entry-level recruitment process, will ensure that hiring organizations are able to meet their renewal and recruitment needs, thus supporting them in their management of HR for the delivery of programs and services.
The ultimate outcome is identified as the PSR Program contributing to the Public Service Commission's role in ensuring a highly competent, non-partisan and representative public service, able to provide service in both official languages, in which appointments are based on the values of fairness, access, transparency and representativeness.
"To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about the federal public service?" (Open)
| Statements | Recent Hires through PSR Program (%) |
Recent Hires through other methods (%) |
Potential recruits (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Difficult to obtain a job in federal government through PSR Program | 51% | 45% | 71% |
| Working in federal government offers a good work-life balance | 84% | 81% | 69% |
| Federal government offers a wide variety of career jobs | 88% | 83% | 67% |
| Process for getting into federal government is too long | 86% | 88% | 65% |
| Federal government has opportunities for advancement | 82% | 77% | 65% |
| Federal government offers interesting work | 78% | 75% | 55% |
| Few positions of interest to me in federal government | 18% | 26% | 45% |
| No federal government jobs in my region | 20% | 14% | 32% |
Source: EKOS Research Associates Inc.; PSR Program & Other Recruitmens in PS, 2009
« Back to Appendix C: Perceptions of the Federal Public Service
"How important are each of the following when deciding what type of career you might want to pursue?"
| Job Aspects | Recent Hires through PSR Program (%) |
Recent Hires through other methods (%) |
Potential recruits (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meaningful work | 96% | 95% | 93% |
| Good work-life balance | 88% | 93% | 91% |
| Working in location where want to live | 77% | 89% | 89% |
| Attractive compensation | 85% | 89% | 87% |
| Opportunities for career advancement | 95% | 93% | 87% |
| Comprehensive benefits | 81% | 90% | 82% |
| Job security | 84% | 91% | 79% |
| Being given opportunity to be creative | 78% | 78% | 78% |
| A pension | 73% | 83% | 66% |
| Opportunity to work autonomously | 67% | 69% | 62% |
| Prestige associated with the job | 52% | 46% | 43% |
Source: EKOS Research Associates Inc.; PSR Program & Other Recruitmens in PS, 2009
"If you were to direct the federal government as to which goals or values should be most important in shaping its direction, how important would you say each of the following goals or values should be?"
| Goals and Values | Recent Hires through PSR Program (%) |
Recent Hires through other methods (%) |
Potential recruits (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A healthy population | 90% | 91% | 93% |
| Integrity | 92% | 95% | 91% |
| A clean environment | 88% | 90% | 90% |
| Innovation | 89% | 85% | 87% |
| Collective human rights | 84% | 87% | 83% |
| Social equality | 81% | 84% | 81% |
| Tolerance for different people, cultures and ideas | 83% | 84% | 78% |
| Security and safety | 82% | 87% | 74% |
| Self-reliance | 74% | 76% | 69% |
| Prosperity and wealth | 73% | 69% | 64% |
| Canadian identity | 69% | 72% | 62% |
| Equality among all regions of Canada | 67% | 66% | 61% |
| Respect for authority | 57% | 63% | 50% |
Source: EKOS Research Associates Inc.; PSR Program & Other Recruitmens in PS, 2009
« Back to Appendix E: Preferred Values and Goals in Shaping Federal Government
"To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?"
| Statements | Recent Hires through PSR Program (%) |
Recent Hires through other methods (%) |
Potential recruits (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| I have confidence in my ability to recover from my mistakes, no matter how big | 90% | 92% | 91% |
| I would choose a $3,000 annual raise over a $10,000 bonus if I had a 1 chance in 3 of getting the bonus | 60% | 61% | 70% |
| I would rather feel intense disappointment than intense regret | 60% | 63% | 69% |
| I tolerate ambiguity & unpredictability well | 59% | 58% | 57% |
| I generally prefer stimulation over security | 51% | 51% | 51% |
| If forced to choose between them, I would take safety over achievement | 34% | 50% | 43% |
Source: EKOS Research Associates Inc.; PSR Program & Other Recruitmens in PS, 2009
« Back to Appendix F: Self-Rated Confidence and Perceptions of Risk-Taking