The Public Sector IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast suggests the top priority skills for the Public Sector are all soft skills, ranging from teamwork and communication through to stress tolerance and flexibility. The top generic skills range from thinking critically, virtual collaboration and social intelligence through to foundation skills.
According to the job vacancy data, the top requested skills by employers in the Government industry were communication skills and planning. The most advertised occupations were Contract, Program and Project Administrators followed by General Clerks. The top employers were the New South Wales Government and the Government of Queensland. The top location for job advertisements was New South Wales.
The Public Sector IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast identifies a number of key skills gaps across the Public Sector, including:
- Leadership: Associated skills range from technical skills to problem solving, project management, managing staff and managing change.
- Intercultural competence: Workers need skills to understand and value the input of all employees, regardless of their cultural or demographic background. The cultural diversity of communities will continue to require that Public Sector service delivery and public policy development be culturally appropriate, and safe.
- Technology: Digital literacy and being proficient in the use of different technological platforms are essential skills. Information and communications technology (ICT) developments are particularly having an impact on the skills needs of entry-level positions and early career roles in Public Sector agencies.
- Data skills: Data is a fundamental source of insight which Public Sector staff are increasingly drawing on to inform policy and program development and support decision-making processes. Understanding data and basic analysis and interrogation skills are important for many Public Sector roles.
- Soft skills: Soft skills include things like communication, teamwork, problem solving, emotional judgement, professional ethics and global citizenship.
The Public Sector IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast highlights the significance of the ageing workforce. Nearly half (48%) of the Australian Public Service (APS) workforce is aged 45 years or over. Attraction and development of staff to address the effects of an ageing workforce is a focus for many agencies, including introducing lifelong learning opportunities. Implications of an older workforce include the loss of skills and knowledge due to retirement, and retirement may be further accelerated across the sector as changes to superannuation arrangements, employment arrangements or other work conditions are made. Succession planning has therefore never been more important for the sector than now, and in the 2018–19 budget the Australian Government announced the Collaborative Partnership on Mature Age Employment, an initiative to encourage employers to collaborate to reduce age discrimination and create more mature-age friendly work environments. Other examples of programs and processes being applied to address the impact of an ageing workforce include: mentoring programs, leadership development programs and workplace exchanges with other agencies or overseas.
The Australian Government Department of Industry, Innovation and Science report Australia's Tech Future: Delivering a Strong, Safe and Inclusive Digital Economy, states that emerging technologies, data and analytics, and artificial intelligence present significant opportunities for the Government to deliver better outcomes for the public and the ability to do so more efficiently and effectively. By harnessing the opportunities of digital technologies the Government can continue to improve citizen and business experience. Millions of Australians are already securely accessing a range of government services online every day, including, myGov, myTax, and My Health Record. Data analytics and artificial intelligence capability can also help governments to improve services and create a more valuable experience for individuals and businesses by using existing data insights to tailor services. There are many challenges that impact on a government's ability to adopt innovative digital technologies. One of the most important challenges is the capability barrier in terms of staff skills and knowledge. To design, build and deliver great digital services governments need the right people with the right skills.
In the Australian Government Response to the Senate Finance and Public Administration References Committee Report: Digital Delivery of Government Services, the Government agrees that digital capability is a key skillset for the APS, and recognises the importance of providing pathways for ICT and digital specialists to join the APS workforce as well as education and training initiatives to build the digital capability of existing staff. The Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) supports Digital Entry Level Programs to help APS agencies attract, select, uplift and retain digitally skilled employees. Since the first program commenced in 2007, there have been 1,135 participants in the program. One of the Entry Level Programs is the Digital Apprenticeship Program which supports year 12 graduates (or equivalent) to enter the APS and develop their digital skills. Apprentices work full-time while they study a range of ICT courses to support further development. Other Entry Level Programs include cadetships and programs for university graduates. These programs are additional to department and agency specific programs to attract ICT specialists. As part of the Building Digital Capability program, a series of learning design standards for specialist digital roles have been developed. A digital leadership program is also being delivered to support senior executives to drive digital culture across their agency.
In December 2019, the Australian Government Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet released Delivering for Australians: a World-Class Australian Public Service: the Government's APS Reform Agenda. Priorities include to:
- Continue the digital transformation of Government – lifting APS data and digital capabilities and technology to improve services and deliver better outcomes, by establishing new data and digital professions and using centres of excellence to push innovation and share best-practice.
- Invest in staff – building their capability and expertise to meet current and emerging needs by investing in professional skills and learning, developing future skills needs and supporting current and future leaders.
- Establish an APS professions model and a learning and development strategy to deepen capability and expertise.
The State of the Service Report 2018-19 states that the APS workforce of the future will need to be more empowered, mobile, diverse, adaptive and capable. APS workplaces will need to be better connected and characterised by continuous learning and feedback. As an employer, the APS will need to attract, reward and retain the best talent, and will increasingly compete with other jurisdictions and sectors to fill critical and emerging roles. In addition, the APS will not be immune from the labour market disruption that has already started due to advancements in artificial intelligence, machine learning and big data. Reskilling some segments of the APS workforce will be an important aspect of workforce planning to manage job transitions for employees as skills requirements change. Lifelong learning and ongoing skills development will continue to underpin capability development as the APS grapples with the changing nature of work.
Today's Problems, Yesterday's Toolkit argues that improving individual skills provides the linchpin for tackling public problems and restoring trust in government. The authors outline the core skills – the 21st century toolkit – of the public entrepreneur, and how governments around the world are putting these skills to use. Ten recommendations for designing an effective public sector training program, emphasising the need to include both qualitative and quantitative skills, are offered. The report also calls for a radical reshaping of training for public service leaders. Hybrid online and offline learning, and problem- and project-based coaching and mentorship, would all help public servants to become public entrepreneurs, skilled in public problem solving.
The NSW Public Sector Aboriginal Employment Strategy: NSW Working Together for a Better Future, 2019–2025 aims to build a talent pipeline by attracting more Aboriginal peoples to work in the NSW public sector and helping them advance their careers. The strategy goes beyond employment targets and includes a focus on growing Aboriginal cultural competency for all employees across the sector.
For specific analysis of issues affecting Local Government, see Local Government.