Chapter 6: The Values and workplace relations

Mobility

Mobility is a vehicle for professional development, an opportunity to exchange ideas and better-practice approaches, to improve cooperation among public service agencies and to contribute to the maintenance of a service-wide culture. For the purpose of this section mobility relates only to promotions and transfers between agencies and does not incorporate mobility through movements in and out of the APS.

The mobility rate (which comprises promotions and transfers between agencies) has declined from 3.1% in 1993–94 to 1.8% in 2002–03. Chapter 2 briefly referred to variations in the mobility rate over the last 10 years.

Figure 6.5 shows the overall rate of mobility for all ongoing APS employees, specific mobility rates for APS 1–2 and APS 3–4 classification levels (on a separate axis) and average staff numbers for the period from 1989–90 to 2002–03.

The figure shows a relationship between total staffing levels and overall mobility rates for the period between 1989–90 and 2002–03. It suggests that mobility is affected by what is happening to the APS overall. When the APS is expanding, it is also likely that mobility will increase because of the available opportunities. When the APS is contracting, mobility rates are likely to decline correspondingly.

The same relationship between mobility and employment opportunities also appears to exist for classifications most affected by changing mobility rates. At the APS 1–2 levels, fewer opportunities for transfer and/or promotions are now available, and mobility has stabilised. The main gateway for entry into the APS is now at the APS 3–4 levels, and mobility in this classification group is generally consistent with the overall trend.

Staff moving into the APS at the 3–4 levels are also likely to have private sector experience and have, on moving to the APS, brought with them a greater breadth of experience than earlier cohorts.

The results of the employee survey provide information on employee intentions to seek promotion and/or transfer within the employee’s current agency, outside that agency and outside the APS. Promotion and transfers data were collected separately and a respondent may have indicated that they would seek a promotion and/or a transfer.

Forty-seven per cent of respondents indicated that they anticipated seeking a promotion in the next 12 months. Most of the employees intending to seek a promotion intended to do so in their own agency (82%). The main reason these employees gave was that they enjoyed the issues/type of work dealt with (77%).

In response to questions as to whether respondents would seek to change jobs at their current classification level within the next 12 months, 20% of respondents indicated that they would. Of these respondents, 55% said they would seek a transfer at the same classification level in their own agency. As was the case with promotions, the main reason for seeking a move within the current agency was, for the majority of respondents (81%), that they enjoyed the issues/type of work dealt with.

While the main reason employees wished to stay in their current agency was because they enjoyed their work, other factors were also relevant. For promotions, the third most often stated reason was that the pay and conditions in the employee’s current agency were preferable to many other APS agencies (32% of relevant employees). Similarly, for transfers the second most stated reason was preferable pay and conditions (33%). This suggests that pay and condition differentials between agencies may also be a relevant consideration affecting employees’ decisions in terms of career mobility within the APS.

It may be that, where agencies have successfully established structured learning and development and career paths within their own agency, employees are being encouraged to remain in that agency, and agencies are getting a greater return on their training investment. The high proportion of employees intending to seek promotion, suggests agencies do need to carefully manage the pressure for premature advancement by providing appropriate frameworks and support through career planning, learning and development strategies and sound performance management.

The proportion of employees intending to seek a transfer within their agency is a positive sign that employees are willing to move at level to learn new skills and may reflect a greater focus on in-house career development and learning and development opportunities which are effectively linked to performance management. Opportunities to transfer to develop skills, to experience new challenges and to continue to have interesting work are important in maintaining committed employees who enjoy their work.