New findings from the 2024 Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) indicate that the majority of federal public servants had a sense of pride about their work (82%). They were also satisfied with their job (77%), though the job satisfaction rate has fallen somewhat since 2022, when it stood at 81%.
The PSES, which was developed in partnership with the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, was conducted from October 28 to December 31, 2024, in 93 federal departments and agencies, with close to 187,000 respondents. This survey provides information to support the continuous improvement of people management practices in the federal public service. Statistics Canada would like to thank all federal public service employees who took the time to answer the survey.
Around two-thirds of federal public servants feel valued at work
Around two-thirds (67%) of federal public servants reported that they felt valued at work, and an even greater percentage (81%) felt that their ideas and opinions were valued by their team members.
In addition, 64% of employees said that they received meaningful recognition for work well done, and 82% indicated that they know how their work contributes to the achievement of their department's or agency's goals.
Close to one in four federal public servants report experiencing high or very high levels of stress in their jobs
Results from the 2024 PSES indicate that close to one-quarter (24%) of all federal public servants said that they experienced high or very high levels of stress in their jobs. This mirrors results obtained for employed people in Canada overall.
In addition, 59% of federal public servants described their workplace as being psychologically healthy, a drop from 68% in 2022. Still, 81% of employees said that their immediate supervisor supported their mental health and well-being, and 65% said that their department or agency does a good job raising awareness of mental health in the workplace.
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, and data sharing, as well as TBS's global understanding and expertise in the area of human resources and its associated strategic direction.
The response rate for public service departments and agencies was 50.5%.
The survey results allow departments and agencies in the Government of Canada to identify their areas of strengths and opportunities on topics such as employee engagement, official languages, equity and inclusion, and workplace well-being. Departments and agencies can use the results to benchmark their performance, track progress over time, and develop and refine strategies.
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 is available on the PSES Integrated Metadatabase page.
Questionnaires are available on the TBS 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 TBS website.
In this Daily release, the concept of "job satisfaction" is based on positive responses (i.e., agreement) to the statement, "Overall, I like my job."
Reference
Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 4438.
Previous release: Public Service Employee Survey, 2022/2023.
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 (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).