The Public Sector Commission has developed a new guide to support recruiting and developing diverse talent in the State’s Public Service.
The guide comes with a series of supporting videos.
It provides information on how exceptions in the Equal Opportunity Act 1984 (EO Act) can be used by public sector Agencies to favour particular groups of people in the area of employment.
In this way Agencies can deliver on actions under the Workforce Diversification and Inclusion Strategy and supporting action plans.
Director of Equal Opportunity in Public Employment, Sonja O’Leary said she was pleased to see Agencies using the exceptions successfully and hoped the guide would encourage greater use.
“The representation of diverse groups in our sector continues to be low compared to the wider community, particularly at senior levels,” Ms O’Leary said.
“We want to give Agencies the confidence and tools to drive change and progress diversity and inclusion through targeted and proactive recruitment.”
She said the videos featured public sector leaders showcasing real-life examples of how their Agency has used the EO Act to successfully recruit for diversity.
“There is growing consensus internationally that pursuing diversity and inclusion in public sector workforces can help achieve important outcomes in major policy areas, advance reform agendas and promote good governance practices,” Ms O’Leary said.
“Research shows that organisations which value diversity and inclusion achieve greater staff satisfaction, better customer service outcomes and improved decision-making and performance.”
Ms O’Leary said the strategy and six supporting action plans had been developed with input from Agencies of all shapes, sizes and contexts.
“Together, they set out a sector-wide approach to workforce diversification and inclusion,” she said.
The 8-page Workforce Diversification and inclusion Strategy can be accessed at this PS News link.
