Workforce planning in the Queensland public sector isn’t sophisticated enough to build a workforce that can meet changing needs and priorities after Covid, the state’s auditor general has found.

A report released on Tuesday says the state’s public sector workforce is ageing, with more people leaving after less than a year of employment, and a jump in the rate of resignations.

Changing expectations of government services, digital transformation, and a highly competitive labour market are all affecting the sector, Auditor General Brendan Worrall says.

At the same time employees are demanding more flexible work and workforce models, with 62 per cent using flexible workplace options, up from 58 per cent in 2018.

The public sector needs to leave behind traditional ways of operating and develop strategies to address anticipated talent shortages, Mr Worrall says.

“The sector needs to implement better strategies to create a skilled workforce with the ability to respond and adapt quickly to these challenges,” he says.

“More needs to be done to assess and respond to the impact of emerging technology and opportunities presented through data and digital transformation.”

The sector needs to implement better strategies to create a skilled workforce with the ability to respond and adapt quickly to these challenges.

Queensland Auditor-General Brendan Worrall

There are currently 240,000 people working in the Queensland public sector. Nine out of ten are frontline or frontline support workers, and 64 per cent work in regional areas.

The report shows people aged over 60 are increasing, while the proportion of the workforce staying in the public sector for less than a year has increased from 2.8 per cent in 2018 to 3.1 per cent in 2022.

The rate of resignations has increased from 3.2 per cent in 2018 to 4.7 per cent in 2022, with fewer employees giving their workload and health a positive rating.

“The current workforce planning framework is broad and visionary but has not translated to effective planning strategies,” Mr Worrall concludes.

Failure to keep up with digital transformation

The report predicts that many job tasks will become automated, new tasks will emerge, and some job roles will evolve with new responsibilities.

But the sector doesn’t have a proper grip on the new skills that will be needed and has made an inadequate assessment of the impact technology will have on the workforce.

“More analysis is needed on how to improve workforce skills, tools, and abilities, to keep up with the constant changes,” Mr Worrall says.

The report says a lack of contemporary recruitment methods is making it difficult to attract and recruit the best talent, with an average time frame of about ten weeks to fill a position.

Pay and conditions are also a barrier, with state public sector employment arrangements, such as industrial awards, pay points, and bandings seen by many departments as barriers to attracting and retaining talent.

“The Queensland public sector average earnings are more than the national average and caught up with the Australian public sector average in 2022,” the report says.

“However, uncompetitive salaries in some roles are making it difficult to attract and retain staff.”

Mr Worrall also takes aim at the Public Service Commission’s 10-year Human Capital Outlook and 3-year Human Capital Strategic Roadmap for failing to become embedded in department strategies since their release in 2017.

“Both the 10-year Human Capital Outlook and 3-year Human Capital Strategic Roadmap set out broad directions for the sector and are visionary in scope, but five years in, it is difficult to see what they have achieved” he says.

“There are no clear objectives or expected outcomes to measure progress. More practical and cohesive strategies are needed to transform the workforce, supported by measures of success.”

Comment below to have your say on this story.

If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@governmentnews.com.au.  

Sign up to the Government News newsletter