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Management of human resources As at 30 June 2019, there were a total of 3,200 operative and inoperative staff employed by the ABS, including:
Table 7.1: Total ongoing employees by gender, location and employment status, at 30 June 2018 & 2019 (a)
(b) Includes staff located in offices in Dandenong, Geelong and Melbourne. (c) Includes sex indeterminate staff: 1 in Vic and 1 in the ACT. Total (ongoing and non-ongoing) sex indeterminate staff in 2018-19 was 3. Table 7.2: Total non-ongoing employees by gender, location and employment status, at 30 June 2018 & 2019 (a)
(b) Includes staff located in offices in Dandenong, Geelong and Melbourne. (c) Includes sex indeterminate staff: 1 in ACT. Total (ongoing and non-ongoing) sex indeterminate staff in 2018-19 was 3. Table 7.3: Ongoing Public Service Act employees by gender, classification and employment status, at 30 June 2018 & 2019 (a) (b) (c)
(b) Excludes the Australian Statistician and interviewers. (c) Counts are based on nominal classification. (d) 2018 includes 99 inoperative ongoing staff (by level: SESB2 – 2 female; SESB1 – 1 male & 1 female; EL2 – 2 male & 4 female; EL1 – 3 male & 17 female; APS6 – 7 male & 32 female; APS5 – 1 male & 17 female; APS4 – 1 male & 10 female; APS3 – 1 male). (e) 2019 includes 98 inoperative ongoing staff (by level: SESB3 – 1 male; SESB2 – 2 female; SESB1 – 1 male & 2 female; EL2 – 4 male & 3 female; EL1 – 5 male & 17 female; APS6 – 3 male & 24 female; APS5 – 5 male & 17 female; APS4 – 3 male & 10 female; APS3 – 1 female). (f) Includes sex indeterminate staff: 2 APS4 staff. Total (ongoing and non-ongoing) sex indeterminate staff in 2018-19 was 3. (g) All staff included in the ‘Other’ category in 2018-19 were cadets. Table 7.4: Non-ongoing Public Service Act employees by gender, classification and employment status, at 30 June 2018 & 2019 (a)(b)(c)
(b) Excludes interviewers. (c) Counts are based on nominal classification. (d) 2019 includes 1 inoperative non-ongoing female APS6. (e) Includes sex indeterminate staff: 1 APS3. Total (ongoing and non-ongoing) sex indeterminate staff in 2018-19 was 3.
Table 7.5: Public Service Act employees by location and employment type, at 30 June 2018 & 2019 (a)(b)
(b) Excludes the Australian Statistician and interviewers. (c) Includes 99 inoperative ongoing staff at 30 June 2018. (d) Includes 98 inoperative ongoing staff and 1 inoperative non-ongoing staff at 30 June 2019. (e) Includes staff located in offices in Dandenong, Geelong and Melbourne.
Table 7.6: Number of interviewers by location and employment type, at 30 June 2018 & 2019 (a)
(b) Includes 4 inoperative ongoing interviewers at 30 June 2018. (c) Includes 8 inoperative ongoing interviewers at 30 June 2019.
ABS workforce strategy The ABS Workforce Strategy 2015–2019 provides a strategic outlook for transforming our workforce and driving high performance. It complements the ABS Corporate Plan and focuses exclusively on the workforce culture and capability. A revised Workforce Strategy is being developed in 2019 to reflect updated ABS strategic priorities. ABS workforce planning Workforce planning ensures the ABS can respond to both external and internal changes in its operating environment. At the strategic level, the ABS workforce plan considers talent management, succession planning, employee engagement and organisational and cultural change. Workforce planning supports the dynamic nature of the ABS work program by ensuring the organisation has the capabilities required to deliver economic and social indicators that support national decision making and inform policy development. As we move to the next phase of our ongoing transformation, workforce plans are being reviewed to focus on building capabilities to support emerging priorities in the areas of information leadership and the delivery of innovative new statistical services Shaping the culture of the ABS Since 2015, the ABS has identified organisational culture as one of six critical success factors for organisational transformation. The inclusion of organisational culture was in response to a number of independent reviews which called for cultural change to position the ABS for the future, with a shift to become a more open, engaged and outward-looking agency, working in partnership with others. In 2017, the ABS developed a culture change strategy and conducted a benchmark assessment of its actual and desired future culture using the Organisational Culture Inventory (OCI). This work culminated in the development of ‘ABS: Our Culture 2018–2021’ – a statement which outlines organisational expectations and articulates associated high-performance behaviours. Leaders have particular responsibility to demonstrate and encourage behaviour that reinforces our cultural intent at all times. ABS SES officers and Directors have committed to uphold this responsibility and embody behaviours that lead to high performance in individuals and teams. In 2018–19 the Australian Statistician drove leader-led culture change through a range of activities, including:
An evaluation of the culture change work indicates the SES feel well prepared to lead the cultural element of ABS Transformation. Results from the 2018 APS Employee Census indicated improvements in both the internal satisfaction with the organisation’s culture and the processes in place to support this change. The ABS will repeat the OCI process in 2019 to track progress towards our preferred culture. We will also continue our commitment to recognising behaviours that support the ongoing culture change, via our Recognition Program. Workplace diversity and inclusion in the ABS In August 2018, the ABS launched its first ABS Inclusion and Diversity Strategy 2018–21 which sets out our intention to continue to create workplaces that better reflect our community, are more inclusive and benefit from the diverse skills, perspectives and experiences of our employees. The strategy recognises that our people are key to fulfilling the ABS’ purpose and successfully transforming our organisation. The Australian Statistician, David W. Kalisch, continued to drive inclusion and diversity initiatives in his role as a Male Champion of Change for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) by signing up to the Male Champions of Change Impact Report 2018. This is the first consolidated review of the strategy to accelerate the advancement of women in leadership and achieve gender equality. Fostering inclusion To support our commitment to be an inclusive and diverse organisation, some highlights from 2018–19 have included:
ABS workforce diversity profile Table 7.7 provides a breakdown of the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people employed in the ABS. Table 7.8 indicates the number of staff identifying as having a disability. Table 7.7: Public Service Act Indigenous employees by employment type, at 30 June 2018 & 2019 (a) (b)
(b) Excludes interviewers. Table 7.8: Number of Public Service Act employees identifying as having a disability by employment type, at 30 June 2018 & 2019 (a) (b)
(b) Excludes interviewers. Disability reporting mechanism The National Disability Strategy 2010–2020 sets out a ten-year national policy framework to improve the lives of people with disability, promote participation and create a more inclusive society. The ABS contributes to the whole-of-government two-yearly report which tracks progress against each of the six outcome areas of the Strategy and presents a picture of how people with disability are faring. This report can be found at www.dss.gov.au. Since 2007–08, the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) has reported at a whole-of-government level in relation to disability via the State of the Service Report and the APS Statistical Bulletin. These reports are available at www.apsc.gov.au. Training and development In line with the ABS Workforce Strategy 2015–2019, the ABS is reshaping its workforce capability to ensure we have the right people with the right skills to achieve transformation. Key achievements in 2018–19
Recruitment The efficiency and effectiveness of the ABS depends on attracting and retaining the right people.
In 2018–19 ABS recruitment processes included recruitment of:
Workplace health and safety The ABS is committed to fostering a proactive and collaborative approach to the management of work health, safety and wellbeing in the workplace. Specialist teams of work health and safety (WHS) advisors and rehabilitation specialists focus on wellbeing at work, preventing injury and illness, early intervention if injury or illness occurs, and rehabilitation and return to work programs. The ABS’ specialist teams work alongside the ABS People Committee, and multiple ABS Health and Safety Committees, to design and implement health and wellbeing initiatives and regulate WHS policy and guidelines. A significant achievement in 2018–19 was the 68% reduction in workers’ compensation premium costs (Table 7.9). The reduced premium rate was achieved through proactive and person-centred services for maintaining employee health at work, early return to work, and durable return to work. Workplace health and safety regulation There are a number of specific WHS roles in the ABS filled by trained staff. These include First Aid Officers, Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) and wardens. These positions have remained occupied with appropriately skilled and trained ABS employees over the period 2018–19. The ABS has one national, one field-based and eight site-based Health and Safety Committees. These committees met quarterly as required in 2018–19, and in addition to business as usual items, consulted on and finalised a new Work Health and Safety Statement of Commitment. Provisional Improvement Notices, investigations and inspections There were no Provisional Improvement Notices (PINs) issued by Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (WHS Act). Further, there were no improvement notices issued by Comcare (the regulator) under the WHS Act during the period. Under the WHS Act, the ABS is required to report all ‘notifiable incidents’ that occur in the course of conducting ABS business. A notifiable incident is defined as: a death of a person, a serious illness or injury, or a dangerous incident. The ABS reported one notifiable incident in the period and one safety investigation completed. The ABS has worked collaboratively with Comcare implementing improved practices to reduce the risk of workplace injury and to reduce workers’ compensation claim numbers and duration. A Comcare verification inspection was finalised. Rehabilitation and workers’ compensation The ABS Comcare premium rate for 2018–19 was 0.74% of total salary (excluding GST) (Table 7.9). The 2018–19 premium figure represents a 68% reduction from 2017–18. Table 7.9: Comcare workers’ compensation premium rate, 2014-15 to 2018-19
Responsive management of rehabilitation has seen a high rate of application of Early Intervention (EI) strategies in 42 cases in order to manage the risk of compensation liability. Outside this, the ABS has had five claims for workers’ compensation accepted by Comcare with a date of injury occurring during the 2018–19 financial year. An additional three claims made by ABS employees were disallowed by Comcare. Of the claims where liability was accepted by the insurer (Comcare), there were three injury claims (2 lodged by ABS interviewers and one by an office-based employee) and two disease claims (one ABS interviewer and one office-based employee). Attendance management In 2018–19, the average number of days of unscheduled absence per full-time equivalent (FTE) was 12 days (Table 7.10), a slight decrease from 2017–18. Table 7.10: Unscheduled absence: days per FTE, 2016-17 to 2018-19 (a)(b)
(b) Totals do not include workers compensation. (c) The Australian Government (Large Agency) median for 2018-19 was not available at the time of preparing this report. Workplace relations Executive remuneration Executive remuneration at the ABS refers to the remuneration of Key Management Personnel (KMP), Senior Executive Service (SES) employees, and Other Highly Paid Staff. Tables 7.11 and 7.12 outline the remuneration paid to KMP and SES employees. During the reporting period ending 30 June 2019, the ABS identified no other Highly Paid Staff. The Australian Statistician determines the remuneration for all Senior Executive Service (SES) employees at the ABS. In determining SES remuneration arrangements, the Australian Statistician considers:
The ABS SES Remuneration Committee makes recommendations to the Australian Statistician on SES Band 1 and 2 employment conditions and remuneration. The ABS SES Remuneration Committee is comprised of:
Table 7.11: Information about remuneration for key management personnel, at 30 June 2019(a)
(b) In 2018-19, there were no bonuses nor termination benefits paid to KMP. (c) Other benefits and allowances include car parking and related fringe benefits tax, and other allowances. (d) Part-year - appointed 3 September 2018. Table 7.12: Information about remuneration for senior executives (a)(b)(c)(d)
(b) In 2018-19, there were 26 fortnightly pays. (c) This table reports the average total remuneration of Senior Executives who received remuneration during the reporting period. (d) Those ABS officers that have been classified as Key Management Personnel (as per Table 7.9) have not been included in this table disclosure. (e) The Short-term benefits is comprised of:
2) the average of Other benefits and allowances (motor vehicle allowance, car parking and related fringe benefits tax, and other allowances). (g) The Termination benefits is the average amount of termination payment for the reporting period. (h) In 2018-19, there were no bonuses paid to Senior Executives. (i) The Superannuation contributions is the average of the ABS' superannuation contributions, including productivity component, for the reporting period. Employment arrangements Table 7.13 present the employment arrangements for the ABS staff employed under the Public Service Act 1999 as at 30 June 2019. ABS interviewers are engaged under the Australian Bureau of Statistics Act 1975 in accordance with the Census and Statistics Regulation 2016. The ABS Interviewers Enterprise Agreement 2017 is the employment instrument that applies to ABS interviewers (448 as at 30 June 2019). Table 7.13: ABS employment arrangements, at 30 June 2019 (a)
Salary arrangements The ABS Enterprise Agreement 2019 outlines the salary arrangements for non-SES ABS employees employed under the Public Service Act 1999. Table 7.14 shows the salary ranges for ABS employees at 30 June 2019. Table 7.14: Salary ranges by classification as at 30 June 2019
(b) EL2 pay point 4 only accessible as detailed in clauses 15.1 and 15.2 of the ABS Enterprise Agreement 2019. There are no performance pay arrangements in the ABS. Performance management in the ABS The ABS is committed to being a high performing public agency, promoting a people oriented culture through focus on leadership, communication, innovation and engagement. Office-based staff Where there are concerns about employee performance, specialist teams work with employees and managers, implementing early strategies to improve performance. Where concerns remain, ABS managers work with their employees by implementing an informal Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). The ABS initiated three PIPs for ongoing office-based staff during 2018–19, with four in total completed in the period. Of these four, one employee improved performance, and one voluntarily reduced their classification prior to the end of the PIP. Where an employee’s performance has not improved through a PIP, a formal underperformance process commences. Two employees were the subject of formal processes to manage underperformance following a PIP. Of the two formal underperformance processes commenced, one employee resigned, and one employee was reassigned duties at the same level. During 2018–19, the ABS commenced four investigations into suspected breaches of the APS Code of Conduct by ongoing ABS office-based employees. None involved privacy breaches. One employee resigned prior to finalisation of the investigation, while three investigations are yet to be finalised. One investigation that had commenced in 2017–18 was completed in 2018–19, which resulted in a breach finding and no sanction being applied. No non-ongoing contracts for office-based employees were terminated early during 2018–19. ABS interviewers As with office-based employees, where there are concerns about an ABS interviewer’s performance, the employee and manager work together to implement an informal PIP. During 2018–19, one ABS interviewer commenced a PIP, and one ABS interviewer moved from a PIP into a formal underperformance process. This underperformance process was completed within the period, which resulted in an ABS interviewer having their employment terminated. There were no misconduct investigations instigated for ABS interviewers during the period, and no non-ongoing employment contracts were ceased early.
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1001.0 - Australian Bureau of Statistics - Annual Report, 2018-19
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 15/10/2019
This page last updated 25 October 2021