Demographic Snapshot of Canada’s Public Service, 2023

Number of employees

• 357,247 active employees (282,980 in 2010)
• Represents 0.90% of the Canadian population (0.83% in 2010)

Location of work

• 57.5% of employees are in the regions^{Footnote 1} (59.4% in 2010)
• 42.5% of employees are in the National Capital Region (40.6% in 2010)

Employment type

• 81.5% are indeterminate employees (86.2% in 2010)
• 13.5% are term employees (9.1% in 2010)
• 5.0% are casuals and students (4.7% in 2010)

Women^{Footnote 2}

• 56.8% of employees are women (55.2% in 2010)
• 53.5% of executives are women (43.8% in 2010)

Official languages^{Footnote 3}

• 71.8% of employees indicated English as their first official language (71.0% in 2010)
• 28.2% of employees indicated French as their first official language (29.0% in 2010)

Age^{Footnote 4}

• The average age of employees is 43.3 years (43.9 years in 2010)
• The average age of executives is 49.9 years (50.1 years in 2010)

Relative size and spending

Between 2010 and 2023:

• the population of Canada grew from approximately 33.9 million to 39.8 million (an increase of 17.3%)^{Footnote 5}; and
• the number of federal public servants increased from 282,980 to 357,247 (an increase of 26.2%).^{Footnote 6}

The federal public service comprised 0.90% of the Canadian population in 2023. Over the last 10 years, the size of the federal public service in relation to the Canadian population fluctuated but it now represents a greater proportion of the Canadian population than in 2010 when it represented 0.83%.

Between 2010 and 2023:

• Canada’s real gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 28.1%^{Footnote 7}; and
• real federal program expenses increased by 32.2% (in constant dollars)^{Footnote 8}.

Most recently, from 2022 to 2023, there was:

• an increase of 1.3% in real gross domestic product; and
• a decrease of 6.1% in real federal program expenses.

Since the 2010 to 2015 period, where the workforce decreased in response to budget reductions, there has been an increase in the federal public service workforce. In the last year the workforce increased by 6.3%.

Figure 1 shows trends in the economy, the Canadian population, real federal program expenses and the size of the federal public service, from 2010 to 2023.

Figure 1 - Text version

Year	Canadian Population Indextable 1 note 1	Federal Public Service Workforce Indextable 1 note 2	Real GDP Index, in chained dollars (2012)table 1 note 3	Real Program Expenses Indextable 1 note 4
2010	100	100	100	100
2011	101	100	103	95
2012	102	98	105	94
2013	103	93	107	94
2014	104	91	111	93
2015	105	91	111	95
2016	106	92	112	101
2017	107	93	116	104
2018	109	97	119	108
2019	110	102	122	112
2020	112	106	107	122
2021	113	113	120	201
2022	114	119	127	141
2023	117	126	128	132

Table 1 Notes

Table 1 Note 1

Based on data as of April 1 for each year.

Return to table 1 note 1 referrer

Table 1 Note 2

Based on active employees only and data as of March 31 for each year.

Return to table 1 note 2 referrer

Table 1 Note 3

Based on data as of April 1 for each year.

Return to table 1 note 3 referrer

Table 1 Note 4

Based on fiscal year data. Real program expenses were adjusted using Statistic Canada's gross domestic product (GDP) as market price indexes in 2017 chained dollars.

Return to table 1 note 4 referrer

Diversity in the federal public service

Sex

As shown in Figure 2, in 2023, women made up 56.8% of the federal public service, a 1.6 percentage point increase from 2010.

Figure 2 - Text version

Sex	2010	2015	2020	2023
Men	44.8%	45.0%	44.6%	43.2%
Women	55.2%	55.0%	55.4%	56.8%

Source: Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.

Technical Notes:

Population: Includes all employment tenures and active employees only (employees on leave without pay are excluded).

The information provided excludes employees of unknown sex and is based on data as of March 31.

Employment equity designated groups

Representation

Figure 3 shows that there have been increases in the representation levels of all four employment equity designated groups in the core public administration since 2019.

The representation rate for women was slightly higher than the previous year while the representation rate of persons with disabilities increased from 6.2% in 2022 to 6.9% in 2023. As well, representation rates for members of visible minorities showed an increase for the last five consecutive years. However, the representation rate of Indigenous peoples in the core public administration remained relatively stable over the last five years.

Overall, representation of the employment equity groups (women, Indigenous Peoples and members of visible minorities) continue to exceed their respective workforce availability estimates^{Footnote 9} with the exception of persons with disabilities.

Figure 3 - Text version

Employment equity designated group	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	WFA (2016) Canadian citizens	WFA (2016) Canadian citizens and permanent residents - based on March 2022 population	WFA (2016) Canadian citizens and permanent residents - based on March 2023 population
Women	54.8%	55.0%	55.6%	56.0%	56.6%	52.7%	53.3%	53.7%
Indigenous peoples	5.1%	5.1%	5.2%	5.2%	5.3%	4.0%	3.8%	3.8%
Persons with disabilities	5.2%	5.2%	5.6%	6.2%	6.9%	9.0%	9.1%	9.2%
Members of visible minorities	16.7%	17.8%	18.9%	20.2%	21.7%	15.3%	17.2%	17.3%

Source: Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat Pay system as of March 31 of each year and Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat Employment Equity Data Bank (EEDB).

Population: The information includes indeterminates, terms of three months or more, and seasonal employees of organizations captured under the Financial Administration Act, Schedules I and IV (core public administration). Excluded from this information are employees on leave without pay, terms less than 3 months, students and casual workers, Governor in Council appointees, Ministers’ exempt staff, federal judges and deputy ministers.

The data in this table covers employees identified for the purpose of employment equity in the regulations to the Employment Equity Act.

Technical Notes:

Internal representation for Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities is based on those who have voluntarily chosen to self-identify in one of the respective employment equity groups, while sex information is taken from the Pay system.

The 2016 workforce availability estimates (WFA) are based on information from the 2016 Census of Canada and the 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability. Workforce availability estimates include Canadian citizens and starting in 2022, permanent residents, in those occupations in the Canadian workforce that correspond to occupations in the core public administration.

The 2016 WFA based on Canadian citizens only is the relevant comparison for 2019, 2020 and 2021. The 2016 WFA based on Canadian citizens and permanent residents based on the March 2022 population is the relevant comparison for 2022, while the 2016 WFA based on Canadian citizens and permanent residents based on the March 2023 population is the relevant comparison for 2023.

Hiring

Figure 4 shows that the proportion of new hires for indeterminate and term positions of three months or more remains above or equal to the current workforce availability estimates of all employment equity designated groups except for persons with disabilities, which remains below the group’s current workforce availability.

Figure 4 - Text version

Employment equity designated group	2018 to 2019	2019 to 2020	2020 to 2021	2021 to 2022	2022 to 2023	WFA (2016) Canadian citizens	WFA (2016) Canadian citizens and permanent residents - based on March 2022 population	WFA (2016) Canadian citizens and permanent residents - based on March 2023 population
Women	56.5%	58.3%	60.2%	60.1%	61.1%	52.7%	53.3%	53.7%
Indigenous peoples	4.1%	4.0%	3.8%	4.2%	4.4%	4.0%	3.8%	3.8%
Persons with disabilities	3.7%	3.9%	4.3%	5.5%	6.9%	9.0%	9.1%	9.2%
Members of visible minorities	19.3%	21.3%	21.2%	23.2%	26.9%	15.3%	17.2%	17.3%

Source: Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat Pay System, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat Employment Equity Data Bank (EEDB) and the Public Service Commission of Canada’s files on hiring and staffing activities.

Population: The information includes indeterminates, terms of three months or more, and seasonal employees of organizations captured under the Financial Administration Act, Schedules I and IV (Core Public Administration).

Technical Notes:

Internal representation for Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities is based on those who have voluntarily chosen to self-identify in one of the respective employment equity groups, while sex information is taken from the Pay system.

“Employees hired” refers to employees who were added to the public service of Canada payroll between April 1 and March 31 of each given fiscal year.

Percentages are that designated group’s share of all hires.

The 2016 workforce availability estimates (WFA) are based on information from the 2016 Census of Canada and the 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability. Workforce availability estimates include only Canadian citizens and starting in 2022, permanent residents, in those occupations in the Canadian workforce that correspond to occupations in the core public administration.

The 2016 WFA based on Canadian citizens only is the relevant comparison for the 2018 to 2019, 2019 to 2020 and 2020 to 2021 fiscal years. The 2016 WFA based on Canadian citizens and permanent residents based on the March 2022 population is the relevant comparison for the 2021 to 2022 fiscal year, while the 2016 WFA based on Canadian citizens and permanent residents based on the March 2023 population is the relevant comparison for the 2022 to 2023 fiscal year.

First official language

As shown in Figure 5, the breakdown of federal public servants by first official language is consistent across the years. In 2023, 71.8% of federal public servants’ first official language was English, while 28.2% was French.

Figure 5 - Text version

First official language	2010	2015	2020	2023
English	71.0%	71.3%	70.9%	71.8%
French	29.0%	28.7%	29.1%	28.2%

Source: Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.

Technical Notes:

Population: Includes all employment tenures and active employees only (employees on leave without pay are excluded).

The information provided excludes employees with an unknown first official language and is based on data as of March 31.

Age of federal public servants

Figure 6 compares the breakdown of federal public servants in 2010, 2015, 2020 and 2023 by age. From 2010 to 2023, the age breakdown changed slightly, with:

• a decrease in the proportion of employees aged 45 to 59 years; and
• an increase in the proportion of employees under the age of 45 years and those above the age of 60 years.

The average age of federal public servants increased slightly between 2010 and 2015 (from 43.9 years in 2010, to 45.0 years in 2015) and then decreased between 2015 and 2023 from 45.0 years in 2015 to 43.3 years in 2023.

Figure 6 - Text version

Age band	2010	2015	2020	2023
Under 20	0.3%	0.2%	0.3%	0.3%
20 to 24	4.2%	3.2%	5.4%	4.9%
25 to 29	8.9%	6.6%	9.2%	10.9%
30 to 34	11.4%	10.7%	10.0%	11.7%
35 to 39	12.0%	13.7%	12.8%	12.7%
40 to 44	13.2%	14.1%	14.7%	14.5%
45 to 49	16.4%	14.7%	14.1%	14.1%
50 to 54	16.7%	17.2%	13.5%	12.6%
55 to 59	11.1%	12.2%	11.8%	10.1%
60 to 64	4.4%	5.4%	5.7%	5.6%
65 and over	1.3%	2.0%	2.4%	2.6%

Figure 7 shows the distribution of federal public servants by generation for 2010, 2015, 2020 and 2023. Up until 2015, baby boomers (people born between 1946 and 1966) made up the largest group of federal public servants. However, they are being replaced by Generation Xers (people born between 1967 and 1979) and millennials (people born between 1980 and 2000). Millennials now represent the largest group of public servants (48.2%) followed by Generation Xers (34.5%).

Figure 7 - Text version

Generation	2010	2015	2020	2023
Baby Boomers	53.2%	41.8%	24.6%	15.5%
Generation X	31.2%	36.5%	36.8%	34.5%
Millennials	13.9%	21.2%	38.4%	48.2%
Other	1.7%	0.5%	0.2%	1.7%

Hiring into the core public administration

Figure 8 shows new indeterminate hiring in the core public administration over time. Indeterminate hiring has been on the rise since the 2012 to 2013 fiscal year. There was a decline in indeterminate hires between the 2019 to 2020 fiscal year and the 2020 to 2021 fiscal year, however it has since risen. New indeterminate hiring in the core public administration increased by 14.6%, from 21,925 in the 2021 to 2022 fiscal year to 25,125 in the 2022 to 2023 fiscal year.

Figure 8 - Text version

Generation	2012 to 2013	2013 to 2014	2014 to 2015	2015 to 2016	2016 to 2017	2017 to 2018	2018 to 2019	2019 to 2020	2020 to 2021	2021 to 2022	2022 to 2023
Millennials	1,284	2,060	3,274	4,168	6,712	9,169	12,381	13,127	11,247	15,532	18,451
Other	1,581	2,255	2,819	3,530	4,373	5,580	6,864	6,206	5,281	6,393	6,674

The proportion of new indeterminate hires who are millennials increased from 70.8% in the 2021 to 2022 fiscal year to 73.4% in the 2022 to 2023 fiscal year. During this same period:

• the proportion of new indeterminate hires from the baby boomer generation decreased from 6.2% to 4.7%; and
• the proportion of hires who are Generation Xers decreased from 22.5% to 20.7%.^{Footnote 10}

Figure 9 shows the entire age distribution of new indeterminate hires in the core public administration. The median age was 34.0 years.

Figure 9 - Text version

Age band	Proportion of new indeterminate CPA hires
Under 20	0.4%
20 to 24	11.8%
25 to 29	23.0%
30 to 34	18.2%
35 to 39	14.7%
40 to 44	11.6%
45 to 49	8.9%
50 to 54	6.1%
55 to 59	3.4%
60 to 64	1.6%
65 and over	0.4%

Departures from the federal public service

Retirements accounted for 66.0% of departures while resignations accounted for 18.2% in the 2022 to 2023 fiscal year.

Since the 2012 to 2013 and the 2013 to 2014 period, where the number of departures from the federal public service increased in response to budget reductions, there has been a steady decrease of departures from the federal public service workforce up until the 2020 to 2021 fiscal year. Between the 2020 to 2021 fiscal year and the 2022 to 2023 fiscal year, the number of departures has increased by 33.9%.

As shown in Figure 10, in the 2022 to 2023 fiscal year, the federal public service departure rates for retirements, resignations, all other specified reasons and unspecified reasons were 2.9%, 0.8%, 0.2% and 0.5%, respectively.

Figure 10 - Text version

Departure Type	2012 to 2013	2013 to 2014	2014 to 2015	2015 to 2016	2016 to 2017	2017 to 2018	2018 to 2019	2019 to 2020	2020 to 2021	2021 to 2022	2022 to 2023
Retirements	2.9%	3.1%	3.2%	3.6%	3.4%	3.4%	3.3%	3.1%	2.6%	3.2%	2.9%
Resignations	0.9%	0.9%	0.9%	1.0%	0.8%	0.8%	0.7%	0.7%	0.5%	0.7%	0.8%
All other specified reasons	2.4%	2.0%	1.0%	0.7%	0.7%	0.4%	0.3%	0.2%	0.2%	0.2%	0.2%
Unspecified reasons	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.1%	0.2%	0.2%	0.3%	0.2%	0.4%	0.5%

Knowledge-intensive workforce in the core public administration

In 1990, the public service workforce was composed mainly of clerical and operational workers. Since then, employees undertaking more knowledge-intensive work comprise an ever-increasing share of employees in the core public administration. The cadre of knowledge workers is highly skilled, with significant expertise gained through a combination of education, training and experience. The transformation in work has been in response to:

• an increasingly demanding environment;
• new challenges; and
• technological advances since 2000.

As shown in Figure 11, the five largest knowledge-intensive classification groups in the core public administration are:

• Administrative Services (AS);
• Program Administration (PM);
• Economics and Social Science Services (EC);
• Information Technology (IT)^{Footnote 11}; and
• Engineering and Scientific Support (EG).

In 2023, these classification groups represented 51.1% of the core public administration workforce and in 2010, they represented only 40.7%.

Figure 11 - Text version

Classification Group	2010	2015	2020	2023
AS	13.8%	14.5%	16.0%	16.8%
PM	11.3%	10.8%	12.3%	15.1%
EC	5.9%	6.6%	8.2%	9.5%
IT	6.4%	7.0%	7.2%	7.3%
EG	3.2%	3.2%	2.8%	2.5%

Population size of the executive group

As of March 31, 2023, there were 9,069 executives in the federal public service:

• about half of them (50.6%) were EX-01s; and
• only 5.7% were EX-04s and EX-05s.

As of March 31, 2023, executives accounted for 2.5% of the federal public service.

Between 2010 and 2023, the federal public service workforce grew by 26.2%, while the executive population grew by 33.9% over this same period.

Executive diversity

Employment equity designated groups among core public administration executives

Figure 12 illustrates the levels of executive representation in the core public administration for all four employment equity groups from 2019 to 2023.

In 2023, the core public administration representation levels for women, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities in the executive category exceeded their respective workforce availability, while representation of Indigenous peoples fell short of their workforce availability.

Compared with 2022, the representation levels of all four designated groups at the executive level increased.

Figure 12 - Text version

Employment equity designated group	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	WFA (2016) Canadian citizens	WFA (2016) Canadian citizens and permanent residents - based on March 2022 population	WFA (2016) Canadian citizens and permanent residents - based on March 2023 population
Women	50.2%	51.1%	52.3%	53.2%	54.2%	48.0%	48.2%	48.0%
Indigenous peoples	4.1%	4.1%	4.4%	4.9%	5.2%	5.1%	5.2%	5.4%
Persons with disabilities	4.6%	4.7%	5.6%	6.5%	7.7%	5.3%	5.3%	5.3%
Members of visible minorities	11.1%	11.5%	12.4%	14.0%	15.2%	10.6%	11.2%	10.8%

Source: Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat Pay system as of March 31 of each year and Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat Employment Equity Data Bank (EEDB).

Population: The information includes indeterminates, terms of three months or more, and seasonal employees of organizations captured under the Financial Administration Act, Schedules I and IV (core public administration). Excluded from this information are employees on leave without pay, terms less than 3 months, students and casual workers, Governor in Council appointees, Ministers’ exempt staff, federal judges and deputy ministers.

The data in this table covers employees identified for the purpose of employment equity in the regulations to the Employment Equity Act.

Technical Notes:

Internal representation for Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities is based on those who have voluntarily chosen to self-identify in one of the respective employment equity groups, while sex information is taken from the Pay system.

The Law Management (LC) group has been included as part of the executive workforce since 2011 to 2012 fiscal year.

The 2016 workforce availability estimates (WFA) are based on information from the 2016 Census of Canada and the 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability. Workforce availability estimates include Canadian citizens and starting in 2022, permanent residents, in those occupations in the Canadian workforce that correspond to occupations in the core public administration.

The 2016 WFA based on Canadian citizens only is the relevant comparison for 2019, 2020 and 2021. The 2016 WFA based on Canadian citizens and permanent residents based on the March 2022 population is the relevant comparison for 2022, while the 2016 WFA based on Canadian citizens and permanent residents based on the March 2023 population is the relevant comparison for 2023.

First official language of executives

As shown in Figure 13, between 2010 and 2023 the proportion of executives in the federal public service who indicated that French is their first official language increased from 30.1% to 33.0%. This trend was not seen for the overall federal public service for the same period of time. The proportion of federal public servants who indicated that French was their first official language decreased slightly from 29.0% in 2010 to 28.2% in 2023.

Figure 13 - Text version

First official language	2010	2015	2020	2023
English	69.9%	68.9%	67.1%	67.0%
French	30.1%	31.1%	32.9%	33.0%

Source: Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.

Technical Notes:

Population: Includes all federal public service executives, specifically, core public administration executives and their equivalents in separate agencies (such as Executive group (EX) and Management group (MG) classifications) in all tenures (indeterminate, term and casual). It does not include executives on leave without pay or executives with an unknown first official language.

The information provided is based on data as of March 31.

Age of executives in federal public service

Figure 14 shows the age breakdown of federal public service executives for 2010, 2015, 2020 and 2023. The proportion of executives between 40 and 49 years of age and 65 years and older have increased between 2010 and 2023, while the proportion of executives between 35 and 39 years of age and between 50 and 64 years of age has decreased.

* Information for small numbers has been suppressed (counts of 1 to 5). Additionally, to avoid residual disclosure, other data points, may also be suppressed.

Figure 14 - Text version

Age band	2010	2015	2020	2023
25 to 29 years	*	0.0%	*	*
30 to 34 years	*	0.8%	*	*
35 to 39 years	7.3%	7.0%	5.4%	6.0%
40 to 44 years	15.6%	15.6%	18.6%	16.5%
45 to 49 years	22.4%	22.9%	24.9%	26.9%
50 to 54 years	28.0%	27.7%	26.9%	26.9%
55 to 59 years	18.4%	19.2%	16.5%	16.5%
60 to 64 years	5.8%	5.8%	5.6%	4.9%
65 years and over	1.0%	1.2%	1.2%	1.3%

Source: Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.

Technical Notes:

Population: Includes all federal public service executives, specifically, core public administration executives and their equivalents in separate agencies (such as Executive group (EX) and Management group (MG) classifications) in all tenures (indeterminate, term and casual). It does not include executives on leave without pay.

The information provided excludes employees with an unknown age and is based on data as of March 31.

Figure 15 shows that between 2010 and 2023:

• the average age of junior executives at the EX-01 to EX-03 levels in the federal public service remained stable at approximately 50 years of age;
• the average age of senior executives at the EX-04 to EX-05 levels remained between 53 and 54 years of age; and
• the average age of non-executives remained between 43 and 45 years of age.

Figure 15 - Text version

Executive level	2010	2015	2020	2023
EX-01 to EX-03	49.9	50.1	49.8	49.7
EX-04 and EX-05	53.4	53.7	53.4	53.2
Non-EX	43.7	44.8	43.8	43.1

Source: Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.

Technical Notes:

Population: Includes all federal public service executives, specifically, core public administration executives and their equivalents in separate agencies (such as Executive group (EX) and Management group (MG) classifications) in all tenures (indeterminate, term and casual). The population does not include executives on leave without pay.

The information provided excludes employees with an unknown age and is based on data as of March 31.

2022/2023 Public Service Employee Survey

The 2022/2023 Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) was administered by Statistics Canada in partnership with Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. It took place from November 21, 2022 to February 5, 2023. This comprehensive survey measures the federal government employees’ opinions about their engagement, leadership, workforce, workplace, workplace well-being and compensation.

A total of 189,584 employees in 90 federal departments and agencies responded to the 2022/2023 PSES, for a response rate of 53%.

The results from the 2022/2023 PSES indicate that more than four in five (81%) public servants like their job, and 78% of employees report having support in balancing their work and personal life. The results show that employees felt more positive regarding their career development than they did in 2020. 79% indicated that they feel that their immediate supervisor supports their career goals, up from 77% in 2020/2021.

Most employees indicated that they believe that their workplace is respectful, and the results relating to many aspects of respect in the workplace were more positive than they were in 2020/2021. 87% of employees indicated that in their work unit, individuals behave in a respectful manner, slightly higher than 2020/2021 (85%).

Overall, results related to harassment and discrimination have improved year over year.

• Harassment numbers have been steadily declining over the years. There was a decrease from 14% in 2019/2020 to 11% in 2020/2021. These levels have remained at 11% in 2022/2023. Discrimination also remained around the 7-8% mark from 2019/2020 to 2022/2023.
• 72% of employees indicated their department or agency works hard to create a workplace that prevents harassment, up from 71% in 2020/2021, and 74% of employees indicated their department or agency works hard to create a workplace that prevents discrimination (73% in 2020/2021).

Most employees (83%) indicated that their immediate supervisor supports their mental health and well-being, up from 79% in 2020/2021, and 83% of employees indicated that they would feel comfortable sharing concerns with their immediate supervisor about their physical health and safety.

For more information, consult the results of the 2022/2023 Public Service Employee Survey.

2023 Student Exit Survey

The Student Experience Survey (SES) is led by the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer (OCHRO) and has been conducted annually since 2017. The SES was developed to:

• inform recruitment and onboarding strategies;
• contribute to improvements to the student application process; and
• lead to enhancements of student work assignments.

It is important that students are provided with a meaningful work experience, not only to showcase the federal public service as an employer of choice, but also to train and recruit strong candidates who will help shape the future of the public service.

The 2023 SES was conducted from July 31, 2023 to September 15, 2023 and included questions related to different stages of the student work term, such as:

• recruitment
• onboarding and orientation
• work experience
• accommodations
• work environment
• workplace well-being
• employment in the federal public service
• pay
• general information

76 organizations participated in the survey, yielding 5,471 submitted surveys.
For the most part, the positive gains in the SES results that were seen from 2021 to 2022 were maintained in 2023.

Overall, students were positive about the recruitment process:

• 83% of students felt that the application process was clear and easy to understand.
• 65% of students were satisfied with the amount of information they were provided about the job prior to accepting the position, slightly lower than 2022 (67%).

The vast majority of students were positive about their onboarding experience:

• More than nine in ten students were satisfied with the welcome they received from their supervisor (95%) and from their colleagues (94%), unchanged from 2022; and
• 82% of students were satisfied with the overall orientation they received about their organization, slightly lower than 2022 (84%).

As in 2022, there were widespread positive perceptions of the student work experience in 2023:

• 93% of students agreed that overall, they had a positive work experience, similar to 2022 (94%);
• 93% of students felt that they were generally made to feel part of the team, similar to 2022 (94%);
• 84% of students felt that they were given meaningful work, slightly lower than 2022 (86%); and
• 86% of students believed that their job was a good fit with their skills, similar to 2022 (87%).

Similar to 2022, students in 2023 overwhelmingly endorsed a future career in the public service:

• 87% would recommend to other students that they seek a career in the federal public service, similar to 2022 and 2021 (88%);
• 83% of students would seek a career in the federal public service, the same as in 2022 and 2021; and
• 91% of students felt that their current job provided them with valuable skills needed for future employment, slightly lower than 2022 (92%) and the same as 2021 (91%).

Students identified the following factors as most important in choosing their future employment after completing their education: gaining work experience in their field of study; salary; and innovative and exciting opportunities and experiences.

For more information, consult the results of the 2023 Student Experience Survey.