Managing workforce agility in the Queensland public sector

Tabled Report 6: 2022–23

Tabled date

2022-11-15

Report year

2022-23

Whole of government

Entities audited

Not identified in the published HTML audit scope.

Recommendations

1. QAO's text Addressed to: the Public Service Commission

   provides greater central leadership and an integrated approach to strategic workforce planning to address current and future challenges (Chapter 3). This includes
   
   a. providing practical guidance on specific initiatives to address key workforce challenges
   
   b. supporting agency human resources staff to develop skills needed for strategic workforce planning and to address challenges
   
   c. developing clear indicators of success to measure performance and progress across the sector

2. QAO's text Addressed to: the Public Service Commission

   develops contemporary recruitment and selection practices that support the timely recruitment of a diverse workforce (Chapter 5). This includes revisiting the sector's employment value proposition

3. QAO's text Addressed to: the Public Service Commission

   develops whole-of-government guidance on practical and sustainable hybrid workforce models (Chapter 5)

4. QAO's text Addressed to: the Public Service Commission

   champions cross-sector workforce mobility programs and common job descriptions to build and nurture a capable and adaptable workforce (Chapter 5).

5. QAO's text Addressed to: all Queensland Government departments

   ensure strategic workforce planning is driven by leaders and integrated with organisational planning. This includes considering their workforces as part of the broader sector workforce to support greater mobility (Chapter 3)

6. QAO's text Addressed to: all Queensland Government departments

   implement better strategies to address challenges and create a skilled workforce (Chapter 4). This includes
   
   a. undertaking a robust assessment of existing and future workforce skills needed to meet goals, and identifying any skills gaps
   
   b. assessing the impact of emerging technology and digital transformation on service delivery, workplace infrastructure, and workforce demand

7. QAO's text Addressed to: all Queensland Government departments

   move from traditional recruitment practices to contemporary talent acquisition approaches (Chapter 5). This includes
   
   a. modernising and simplifying job roles that focus on skill needs, facilitate mobility across the sector, and better align with comparable private sector roles
   
   b. finding more innovative ways to attract and retain talent.

Authoritative report — Queensland Audit Office

Report PDF on QAO