Appendix 3 – Definitions
Appointments
Appointments refer to the recruitment of permanent officers. Appointees can come from outside the ACTPS, or already working internally in the organisation as temporary or casual employees. The table below describes the subsets of appointment.
| Definition | |
|---|---|
| Appointment from External | This is any commencement with the ACT Public Service where the person has commenced directly as a permanent officer. |
| Total Appointment from Temporary Contract | This is the total of temporary contract staff who were appointed as permanent officers. |
| Total Promotion from Higher Duties Allowance (HDA) | This is the total number of promotions immediately following a period of HDA. |
| Total Permanent Transfer/Promotion | This is the total number of permanent transfers and promotions (not following higher duties). |
The ACT Public Service
The ACT Public Service comprises eight directorates that report to the Head of Service as constituted by the Administrative Arrangements 2016 (No 2).
ACT Public Sector
The ACT Public Sector encompasses the employees of the eight directorates that report to the Head of Service, as well as staff employed under the Public Sector Management (PSM) Act 1994 in other ACT Government entities.
Employees
Employees include permanent officers, temporary and casual employees.
Employees – casual
Casual employees are those engaged on an ad hoc, hourly or daily basis with no ongoing tenure of employment. This category of employment can also be referred to as nonongoing and usually consists of an employment arrangement which is not considered systematic, continuous or permanent.
Employees – full time
Full-time employees can be either permanent or temporary who work full time hours in accordance with their provisions.
Employees – part time
Employees either permanent or temporary, who work less than full time hours.
General Service Officers (GSOs)
Examples include tradespeople, gardeners, drivers and labourers.
Generations
| Generation | Definition |
|---|---|
| Pre-Baby Boomers | Born prior to 1946 |
| Baby Boomers | Born 1946 to 1964 inclusive |
| Generation X | Born 1965 to 1979 inclusive |
| Generation Y | Born from 1980 and onwards |
Gender pay gap
Gender pay gap is equal to one minus female weekly ordinary time earnings, divided by male weekly ordinary time earnings, multiplied by 100. Annual salary represents the salary increment point, pro-rated for part-time employees, and does not include allowances or other pay components.
Headcount and FTE
The Workforce Profile information is based on paid employees. Paid headcount for all employees includes employees on paid leave or with back pay, as at the end of the financial year. Headcount and FTE are standard measures of staff numbers. Headcount considers each employee as one regardless of whether they are full time or part time. In contrast, FTE represents total employee numbers based on equivalent full time hours worked. For example, an employee working standard full time hours attracts an FTE of 1.0 whereas an employee working half the standard full time hours attracts an FTE of 0.5. The total FTE in this example would be 1.5 whereas the headcount would be two. Average FTE and average headcount are based on the 26 pay periods in each financial year. The average over time removes seasonality that can be experienced at a point in time, particularly with temporary and casual employees, and for this reason it is used to calculate year-on-year percentage increases.
Leave
Staff can access annual leave and personal leave entitlements. Annual leave is often referred to as recreational leave. Personal leave can be taken in instances of personal illness or injury, for bereavement, or when caring for a dependent due to illness or injury. Leave can experience a time-lag in processing.
Entitlements can be found in the relevant section of enterprise and collective agreements, see the website for details: http://www.cmd.act.gov.au/employment-framework/home
Median
The median of a set of data values is the middle value of the data set when it has been arranged in ascending order. It is the point at which 50 percent of the data set has a greater value and 50 percent of the data has a smaller value.
Permanent Officers
Permanent officers can be full time or part time, who have been appointed to an office or as an unattached officer under the Public Sector Management Act 1994.
Separation Rate
The separation rate is determined by dividing the total number of permanent separations by the average permanent headcount, over the financial year, for the ACTPS, and excludes transfers between directorates. This calculation is consistent with other jurisdictions including the Australian Public Service. The separation rate of the 2013 State of the Service Report and publications prior were based on average headcount of all staff, including casuals and temporary employees, which deflates the result.
Territory Owned Corporations (TOCS)
Government enterprises (known as Territory Owned Corporations) under the Territory Owned Corporations Act 1990 (TOCS), are separate entities to the ACTPS and other ACT Public Sector entities and are not included in this report. As at June 2016 the single TOCS is Icon Water Limited.
Workforce Average
Note that the calculation of a workforce average is based on the total available data for ACT Public Service directorates only. The average is a weighted means of groups that have varying numbers of employees and it is not a simple average of the figures for groups shown.
Appendix 4
Please follow link to view the ACT Public Service Agency Survey 2016 [155.2 KB]
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