Canada's public service is the world's most effective - so why aren't more youth joining it?

An armchair analysis from the ground

It’s no secret that Canada’s public sector needs youthful renewal.

The average age of a Canadian public servant was last measured in 2020 at 43.9 years, an increase over time (according to TBS), while the average age of a Canadian resident in 2021 was 41.7 years (according to StatCan).

This is a problem you’re probably aware of if you’re at all involved in the work supporting developmental programs, co-ops, or internships. The public sector is (sadly) well-known for overlooking and providing a mediocre experience to youth and juniors seeking a chance to serve.

But why?

Looking back, The Public Policy Forum, in 2017, developed a report entitled Building a Dynamic Future: The Next Generation Of Public Service Talent, in which it outlined many of the pressing issues that currently exist for growing the next generation of public service personnel. At least for me, many of the issues raised still ring true today.

Culture, technology, and paperwork, mainly

Here are just a few of the issues that come to mind, for me:

Awareness

Unlike the private sector, the public sector feels to have no real large scale recruitment strategy similar to the likes of the technology industry - recruitment is frequently fragmented amongst departments. As a student, finding a co-op or internship is often difficult as managers frequently do not post positions to post-secondary co-op portals, leaving many students to search for their own.

Honing in on the candidate experience of development programs, apprenticeships, and internships is crucial for a strong renewal of the public service.

Paperwork, paperwork, and more paperwork

Even for student positions within the public sector, the work in order to hire is tedious for both the manager and the candidate. Some departments have attempted to fast-track this, with varying degrees of success - which points to a bigger issue: there appears to be no centralized plan.

For a student looking to get a 4 month internship or co-op, it is simply too much work to ask them to fill out a 10-page application, when the private sector does it in half a page. In order for the public sector to succeed in this area, in my opinion, we should be streamlining where possible for student positions.

Culture and tools

Finally, the culture and the tools used within the public service leave much to be desired - and especially from an accessibility and accomodation perspective, tools are frequently not universally accessible. This is slowly improving with initatives like the GC Workplace Accessibility Passport, but many believe a more universal approach is needed.

For the public service to live up to its values of being accessible and open to all, changing the culture and tools in order to align with the digital era is needed to maintain a competitive advantage in this space.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed on this blog are purely my own and do not necessarily represent the opinions of any organization.