1. An Agile Workforce: Meeting the Needs of the ACT Community and Effectively Serving the Government of the Day

1.1 Attraction and Retention

Attraction and retention strategies are used by directorates to recruit and retain employees with specialist or critical skills. In the 2017 Agency Survey, directorates were asked to report on any critical skills shortages, capability gaps or difficulty recruiting to or retaining employees in certain positions during the 2016-17 reporting period. Particular comment was sought on any issues associated with the attraction and retention of:

• mature age employees;
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees;
• People with Disability;
• people recruited as part of a formal graduate program;
• people with specialist skills, including leadership skills at the Executive level; and
• entry level positions/traineeships.

Of the seven directorates, six reported that they did experience critical skills shortages, capability gaps or difficulty recruiting to or retaining employees in certain positions during 2016-17. Of these six directorates:

• four reported difficulty attracting and recruiting people with specialists skills;
• four reported difficulty attracting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees;
• two reported difficulty attracting People with Disability;
• one reported difficulty attracting gender and diversity applicants; and
• one reported difficulty retaining employees with specialist skills in executive level positions .

The directorate that reported difficulty retaining employees with specialist skills in executive level positions identified that this problem was attributable in part, to the age profile and retirement factor of these employees. In order to address this issue the directorate identified the need to more effectively target succession planning and, in particular, leadership capacity building.

Snapshot: Attracting and Retaining People with Disability

Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate & Justice and Community Safety Directorate

Both CMTEDD and JACS undertook significant work in the 2016-17 reporting period to increase the recruitment and retention of People with Disability.

CMTEDD doubled the amount of Disability Awareness training that was delivered in the 2015-16 financial year, and increased the number of RED training sessions, providing increased opportunities for employees to learn about creating and supporting inclusive work environments. This training has been particularly important in equipping managers with the knowledge and understanding of how to provide the necessary reasonable adjustments required (including during recruitment) to provide everyone with an equitable opportunity to participate in the workplace.

CMTEDD has worked to develop a supportive culture where employees are comfortable to identify as having a disability. To facilitate an environment of open discussion, CMTEDD has actively communicated stories of self-nominated employees with disability and their experience in the directorate, promoted disability resources and actively promoted significant dates such as International Day of People with Disability.

Both CMTEDD and JACS continue to promote the use of tools available to build a disability confident workforce, such as the AND’s Managers’ Guide: Disability in the Workplace.

In providing an inclusive and accessible work environment, JACS continued implementation of its Employment Action for People with Disability 2016-2019, and Inclusion Statement 2016-2019 which provides an overarching framework for building an inclusive workplace culture in the directorate that reflects the diversity of the ACT community. In conjunction with this plan, JACS identified an executive to champion this cause, who established an internal employee network focussed on supporting employees living with disability.

A Director-General Advisory Committee for Disability Employment in JACS is currently being implemented, and will commence meeting in the 2017-18 financial year. JACS has also implemented wider usage of specialist employment agencies for employment of People with Disability.

Directorates identified various strategies to increase the recruitment and retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees including:

• educating and developing employees and managers (both through the transfer of knowledge between employees and through specialised training);
• workforce planning to include strategies to increase diversity of the workforce;
• participation in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Traineeship;
• active involvement with whole of government Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander initiatives (such as the
  ACTPS Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Career Development Program); and
• utilising the directorate’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) to embed reconciliation into work practices and strengthen the cultural inclusivity of the workplace.

Snapshot: Recruiting and Retaining Employees with Specialist Skills

Community Services Directorate

During 2016-17 CSD experienced specific challenges attracting and retaining Health Professional Officer employees. This was due in part to the increased demand on the services of Child and Youth Protection Services, which has seen additional pressure placed on its workforce. In order to address this capability cap CSD has implemented a range of measures to support the attraction and retention of Health Professional Officers, including;

• payment above base salary upon commencement;
• utilising ARins;
• Health Professional 3 (HP3) Personal Upgrade Scheme for the Recognition of Excellence, which aims to provide opportunities for advancement and recognition of clinicians beyond HP3 level; and
• provision of studies assistance.

To ensure that the directorate is recruiting employees with the correct skills required for the roles, CSD has been utilising bulk recruitment rounds to attract a broader field of applicants, has been undertaking improved screening to better match employees with advertised roles, and has been supporting employees to undertake a Certificate IV in Youth Work.

Over the coming four years CSD plans to invest $43.8 million to support vulnerable children and young people by providing increased funding for child protection and out of home care services. Further, CSD will invest $2.1 million over four years to support the Bimberi Youth Justice Centre to meet demand requirements, and ensure the continued safety and wellbeing of children and young people in the centre.

Four directorates reported difficulty recruiting and/or retaining employees with specialist skills, each identifying various strategies to attract and retain employees to these positions. Utilising targeted advertising and recruitment strategies was identified by all four directorates as critical in attracting suitable applicants for specialist positions. Above base salary commencement and ARins were two common financial benefits offered to attract or retain employees.

The 2017 Agency Survey asked directorates to report on the number of employees that received ARins, SEAs, a benefit under an AWA or any other remuneration supplemental to their salary as defined in the relevant Enterprise Agreement.

ARins are payments made to employees in addition to their classification salary. Using ARins allows directorates to attract employees with critical skills in a competitive labour market. For many years SEAs were used within the ACTPS to attract and retain employees with critical skills, however SEAs are also used in other employment situations.

Table 1 – Attraction and Retention Incentives, Benefits paid under an Australian Workplace Agreement and Special Employment Arrangements 2016-17

	Total
Total number of ARins as at 30 June 2017	4404
Total number of SEAs as at 30 June 2017	6
Total number of AWAs as at 30 June 2017	14
Number of new ARins commenced in 2016-17	198
Number of ARins terminated during 2016-17	139
Number of SEAs terminated during 2016-17	5
Number of AWAs terminated during 2016-17	0
Number of ARins and/or SEAs providing for privately plated vehicles as at 30 June 2017	5
Total additional remuneration paid under AWAs, ARins and SEAs during 2016-17	$17,451,0845

Employees on a range of pay classifications received ARins and/or SEAs during the 2016-17 reporting period. The pay classifications varied relative to the directorate and the ongoing usage of ARins and/or SEAs. Directorates mostly reported ARins/SEAs ranging from ASO5 (classification salary range: $74,081 - $78,415) to SOGA (classification salary: $137,415) and across different employment classification types such as Professional Officers, Health Professionals, Dentists and Medical Practitioners.

1.2 Age Profile

During 2016-17 the age profile of ACTPS employees remained consistent with previous years. As shown in Graph 1, at June 2017 the age profile of ACTPS employees was fairly evenly spread over the 30-59 age groups. Of the 21,791 ACTPS employees, 17.1 per cent were 29 years old or younger, 51.9 per cent were between the ages of 30 and 49 years old, and 31.0 per cent were 50 years old or older.

Graph 1 – Age Profile of the ACTPS Workforce (June 2017)

Graph 2 illustrates the change in the age of the ACTPS workforce over the previous five year period. As can be seen in the graph, there have been slight movements in the proportion of each age group from June 2013 to June 2017. The number of employees in the 30-39, 40-49, 60-69 and 70+ age groups have continued to rise notably each year, showing a continuation of the pattern of gradual aging of the ACTPS workforce.

Consistent with previous years, the ACTPS workforce experienced the biggest growth in the 70+ age group (with a growth rate of 35.5 per cent) over the past five years. During the same period, the 30-39 year age group experienced growth of 16.7 per cent, followed closely by the 60-69 year age group with growth of 14.1 per cent, and the 40-49 year age group with growth of 10.5 per cent. The age group 20 years or younger was the only group to experience a decrease during the period (a decrease of 6.9 per cent).

Graph 2 – Change in ACTPS Age Profile (June 2013 – June 2017)

1.3 Gender Profile

At June 2017 the ACTPS consisted of employees who identified as Male, Female, and individuals who do not exclusively identify as male or female (i.e. a person of a non-binary gender, sometimes referred to as Gender X)⁶.

Gender, as defined in the Australian Government Guidelines on the Recognition of Sex and Gender is ‘part of a person’s personal and social identity. It refers to the way a person feels, presents and is recognised within the community. A person’s gender may be reflected in outward social markers, including their name, outward appearance, mannerisms and dress’⁷.

For the purposes of reporting in this year’s State of the Service Report, gender information is presented as male/female only. While the ACTPS recognises that there are employees who identify as a gender other than male or female, for privacy reasons this information is not included where data has been broken down by gender.

At June 2017 the ACTPS workforce comprised 14,139 female employees which is equivalent to 64.9 per cent of the workforce (based on headcount). The representation of women in the ACTPS is approximately 16 per cent higher than the representation of women in the ACT labour force (49.0 per cent at June 2017)⁸, and approximately 18.3 per cent higher than in the Australian labour force (46.6 per cent at June 2017)⁹. In comparison, male employees total 7,651 or 35.1 per cent of the ACTPS.

Illustrated in Graph 3 is the number of female and male employees by age group. As shown, there are more women than men in all age groups across the ACTPS, with the exception of the 20 and under age group which comprises 14 per cent more men than women. Given women make up 64.9 per cent of the total ACTPS workforce, the higher proportion of women in each age group is to be expected. Of all the age groups, the highest proportion of women is in the 20-29 age group with 68.4 per cent. The lowest proportion of women is in the age group under 20 with 43 per cent.

Graph 3 – Gender Profile by Age Group (June 2017)

At June 2017 the average salary of women in the ACTPS was $89,356 and the average salary of men was $92,170. In the five years to June 2017 the average female salary has increased by 14.9 per cent (up from $77,779 at June 2013), an increase proportional to the growth in the average salary of men over the same period (14.3 per cent up from $80,643 at June 2013).

Women in the ACTPS are paid slightly less than their male counterparts with a gender pay gap of 3.1 per cent. This pay gap has reduced by 0.5 per cent from June 2016 to June 2017.

It has been identified that gender pay gaps are lower in those organisations with higher representation of women in executive leadership roles¹⁰. This is certainly the case for the ACTPS with 44.7 per cent of the Senior Executive Service being women.

It is important to note that in the ACTPS, women and men doing the same job receive the same remuneration. That is, women and men with the same role and responsibilities receive the same salary (for example a women and a man in an Administrative Services Officer 6 position receive the same salary, just as a woman and a man in a Classroom Teacher 1 position receive the same salary). The gender pay gap in the ACTPS does not signal discrimination, rather it is a result of the differences in the way women and men work, for example, more women choosing part time work.

Graph 4 – Gender Profile by Salary Range (June 2017)

Graph 4 shows the number of male and female employees across different salary groups in the ACTPS. As shown there are significantly more women in the $60,000-$119,000 salary groups, while in the $40,000-$59,000 and over $120,000 salary groups the number of women and men is more alike.

Notably, over the past year the number of women in the $100,000-$119,000 salary group has increased by 76.7 per cent (from 1,677 at June 2016 to 2,964 at June 2017). Comparatively, over the same period the number of men earning $100,000 - $119,000 increased by 31.7 per cent (903 at June 2016 to 1,323 at June 2017).

Women hold 44.7 per cent of senior executive positions in the ACTPS, a proportion roughly equivalent to that of four years ago (43.1 per cent at June 2013). The majority of the ACTPS Directors-General are women (five of the seven Directors-General).

Women working in the ACTPS hold a diverse range of professions, including; Administrative Officers, Ambulance Officers, Fire and Rescue Officers, Information Technology Officers, Teachers and Transport Officers. At June 2017 the professions with the highest proportion of female employees were; Nurses and Midwives (87.3 per cent), Health Professional Officers (79.0 per cent), Health Assistants (78.9 per cent), Teachers (77 per cent) and Administrative Officers (74.9 per cent).

1.4 Pay Gaps

The average salary of the ACTPS was $90,350 at June 2017. Graph 5 provides a comparison of the average salary of ACTPS diversity groups from June 2013 to June 2017. As shown, over the five year period the average salary of the ACTPS has increased by 14.7 per cent.

The ACTPS average salary is approximately equal to the average salary of an individual in the ACT labour force ($90,844 at November 2016)¹¹, and approximately $10,000 higher than the average salary of an individual in the Australian labour force ($79,737 at Nov 2016)¹².

As shown in Graph 5, the average salary of female employees has increased at a constant rate over the past five years. From June 2013 to June 2017 the average salary of female employees increased by 14.9 per cent, an increase slightly higher than that of the average ACTPS salary during the same period. The average salary of female employees continues to sit slightly under that of the average ACTPS salary, a trend that is likely attributable to the proportionally larger number of female employees choosing part time work across the ACTPS.

The average salary of employees identifying as Culturally and Linguistically Diverse increased at a steady rate from June 2013 to June 2017, with a salary increase of 13.4 per cent over the period. At June 2017 the average salary of employees identifying as Culturally and Linguistically Diverse was $86,295.

Notably, over the past year the average salary of People with Disability saw a sharp increase. As shown in Graph 5, from June 2016 to June 2017 the average salary of People with Disability climbed higher than both the average salary of female employees and the average salary of the ACTPS. At June 2017 the average salary of People with Disability was $90,504, an amount $154 higher than the average salary of the ACTPS. Given the considerable work undertaken during the 2016-17 reporting period to support and strengthen the participation of People with Disability in the ACTPS workforce it is encouraging to see an increase in the average salary of People with Disability.

The average salary of employees identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples saw a reasonable increase from June 2013 to June 2014, since which it has continued to rise at a moderate rate. Over the five year period from June 2013 to June 2017 the average salary of employees identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples saw an increase of 14.1 per cent, a growth rate equivalent to that of the growth of the average ACTPS salary over the same period. At June 2017 the average salary of employees identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples was $79,838.

Graph 5 – Comparison of Average Salary (June 2013 – June 2017)

1.5 Part Time Employment

In the ACTPS, employees who work part time make up almost one quarter of the workforce. Displayed in Graph 6 is the ACTPS workforce by employment mode. As shown, at June 2017, 24.4 per cent of the workforce worked part time (5,308 employees).

At 24.4 per cent, the percentage of part time employees in the ACTPS is lower than both the percentage of part time employees in the ACT labour force (28.1 per cent)¹³and the Australian labour force (31.6 per cent)¹⁴ at June 2017.

Graph 6 – ACTPS Workforce by Employment Mode (June 2017)

As can be seen in Table 2, at June 2017 part time Culturally and Linguistically Diverse employees totalled 895, making up 16.9 per cent of the ACTPS’s total part time employees. People with Disability made up 2.2 per cent, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples made up 1.2 per cent.

The majority of ACTPS part time employees are female (83.5 per cent), a trend consistent with previous years. The proportion of ACTPS part time employees who are female is roughly 15 per cent higher than the percentage of female part time employees in both the ACT labour force (67.9 per cent)¹⁵ and Australian labour force (69.2 per cent)¹⁶ at June 2017.

Of all female employees in the ACTPS, 31.3 per cent work part time compared to 11.5 per cent of all male employees. In the ACT labour force, 39.0 per cent of all females work part time compared to 17.7 per cent of all men¹⁷, and in the Australian labour force 46.9 per cent of women work part time compared to 18.2 per cent of all men¹⁸.

Table 2 – Part time employment by diversity (June 2017)

	ACTPS	Females	Culturally and Linguistically Diverse	People with Disability	Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
Permanent part time	4,377	3,693	736	101	44
Temporary part time	931	737	159	14	21
Total part time	5,308	4,430	895	115	65

As shown in Table 2, part time employees within the ACTPS are predominantly employed on an ongoing basis, with permanent part time employees making up 82.5 per cent of all part time employees.

The ACTPS average salary for part time employees was $83,782 at June 2017. The average salary of women and men working part time was approximately equivalent, with women earning an average part time salary of $83,607 and men earning an average part time salary of $84,664.

Part time work is an important component of the ACTPS workforce, and the high proportion of permanent part time employees in the ACTPS demonstrates the Service’s willingness to accommodate flexible working arrangements. Part time work allows employees to combine employment with other activities such as education or raising or caring for family, and allows both women and men to maintain a healthy work life balance while progressing their careers.

Part time work arrangements may be utilised by employees on return from maternity leave, for family caring arrangements, to undertake education, or to transition to retirement amongst many other reasons. As the ACTPS continues to grow, flexible work practices will continue to be an ever important aspect of the way the Service operates.

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^{4 At 30 June 2016 the total number of ARins was 340. The increase in the total number of ARins from 30 June 2016 to 30 June 2017 is due to the introduction of new industrial and employment arrangements for school assistants working under the Health Access At School (HAAS) Program within the Education Directorate.
5 Total additional remuneration paid under AWAs, ARins and SEAs during 2016-17 is an approximate figure. The 2015-16 State of the Service Report reported an incorrect amount for total additional remuneration paid under AWAs, ARins and SEAs. The correct figure of $18,764,523 was published via corrigendum in 2017.
6 Australian Government Guidelines on the Recognition of Sex and Gender, Australian Government, 2013.
7 Australian Government Guidelines on the Recognition of Sex and Gender, Australian Government, 2013.
8 Australian Bureau of Statistics, Labour Force Australia 6202.0
9 Australian Bureau of Statistics, Labour Force Australia 6202.0
10 Cassells R, Duncan A and Ong R (2017), ‘Gender Equity Insights 2017: Inside Australia’s Gender Pay Gap, BCEC|WGEA Gender Equity Series, Issue #2, March 2017.
11 Australian Bureau of Statistics, Average Weekly Earnings, Australia 6302.0, Australian Capital Territory, 2017.
12 Australian Bureau of Statistics, Average Weekly Earnings, Australia 6302.0, Australia, 2017.
13 Australian Bureau of Statistics, Labour Force Australia 6202.0.
14 Ibid.
15 Australian Bureau of Statistics, Labour Force Australia 6202.0.
16 Ibid.
17 Ibid.
18 Ibid.}