Public Service Employee Survey, 2022/2023
Released: 2023-05-31
New results from the Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) indicate that, despite the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and changing work conditions, 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 PSES gives federal government employees the opportunity to provide feedback and share their experiences in the workplace. The demographic questions on equity-seeking groups in the 2022/2023 PSES were collected to better understand the distinct experiences of diverse populations. Over the previous several cycles of the PSES, demographic questions have been added and expanded to better reflect the population of the public service and to allow for deeper analysis that recognizes the varied experiences within equity-seeking groups. In the 2022/2023 PSES, the questions on equity-seeking groups were updated to align with the modernized self-identification form, including a new question on the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, new categories for racial groups and ethnic origin, and additional subgroups for persons with disabilities.
The 2022/2023 Public Service Employee Survey was carried out from November 21, 2022 to February 5, 2023 in over 90 departments and agencies. The results below represent the responses of 189,584 public service employees.
Over three-quarters (78%) of employees report a sense of satisfaction with their work
Similar to previous years, 78% of employees reported that they received a sense of satisfaction from their work. Other 2022/2023 results show that 72% of employees felt they were encouraged to be innovative and take initiative in their work, while 83% of employees indicated that the people they worked with valued their ideas and opinions.
Most employees (82%) continued to be satisfied with the quality of supervision they received, and 69% of employees felt that they received meaningful recognition for work well done.
Areas for improvement include organizational performance and employee retention
Some workplace challenges were still reported across the federal public service. For example, employees' perceptions of change management declined in 2022/2023, with 51% indicating that they felt change was managed well in their department or agency, compared with 59% in 2020.
Meanwhile, in 2022/2023, 38% of employees indicated that they planned on leaving their current position within the next two years, compared with 24% in 2020. Of those planning to leave, 42% planned to stay within their department or agency, while nearly one-quarter (24%) planned to pursue a position in another department or agency.
Relatedly, 33% of employees indicated that the quality of their work suffered because of high staff turnover, up from 24% in 2020.
Despite workplace stress, most public servants report a psychologically healthy workplace
Nearly one in five (19%) employees indicated that they had high or very high levels of work-related stress. The top two sources of stress at work were a heavy workload (27%) and not having enough employees to do the work (31%).
Despite these challenges, 68% of employees indicated that their workplace was psychologically healthy in 2022/2023. In fact, nearly three-quarters (73%) of employees indicated that they would feel comfortable sharing concerns about their mental health with their immediate supervisor, up slightly from 69% in 2020.
Note to readers
The Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) was developed in partnership with the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS). This partnership leverages Statistics Canada's expertise in methods, data standards, data integration, analytics, data sharing and subject matter knowledge, as well as TBS's global understanding and expertise in the area of Human Resources and associated strategic direction. This public service-wide survey is designed to provide information to support the continuous improvement of people management practices in the federal public service.
The 2022/2023 PSES was conducted as an electronic survey from November 21, 2022 to February 5, 2023. The response rate for the public service departments and agencies was 53.4%.
The survey targets active employees of organizations in the core public administration and of participating separate agencies listed in Schedules I, IV and V of the Financial Administration Act. The survey is a census with voluntary participation. Data are collected for all units of the target population; therefore, no sampling is done. Indeterminate, term, seasonal, casual and student employees, as well as Governor in Council appointees, are eligible to participate in the survey.
More information on definition, data sources and methods are available on the PSES IMDB page (record number 4438).
The question "Do you intend to leave your current position in the next two years?" asked in the 2022/2023 PSES was modified from the 2020 PSES. Questionnaires are available on the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat website.
This release shares high-level results for the public service. Aggregate tables and detailed results for the entire public service, as well as for individual departments and agencies are available on the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat website.
Products
Detailed results are available on the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat website. For additional information regarding the Public Service Employee Survey, contact PSES-SAFF@tbs-sct.gc.ca. For media enquiries, contact Media Relations at media@tbs-sct.gc.ca (613-369-9400).
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (613-951-4636; mediahotline@statcan.gc.ca).
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