We will enhance capability planning maturity across the APS by leveraging data-driven insights and ensuring access to high-quality data, empowering agencies to make informed workforce decisions. 

Horizon 1 initiatives (year 1)

Digital workforce data insights report

Develop a digital workforce data insights report to improve the ongoing collection, analysis and reporting of workforce data, risks and insights for agencies.

Remuneration benchmarking and report (pilot)

Undertake external salary benchmarking for the top five in-demand data, digital and cyber roles to inform options to close the gap between public/private sector remuneration for specialists, reduce internal competition for talent and strengthen the overall employee value proposition (EVP) for the APS.

A remuneration report will be prepared to support talent management and retention efforts in agencies by ensuring salary negotiations are aligned with employee’s experience, qualifications and skills and considered in the context of the broader APS EVP. The remuneration report will be closely linked to broader contractor conversation strategies.

Harmonise workforce data

Develop a workforce data strategy and roadmap to improve the consistency of workforce data across the APS, enhance workforce planning capability and better inform future strategic and operational decisions. This includes:

  • agreeing baseline workforce data to be collected 
  • common data capture approaches
  • improvements to APSJobs
  • data harmonisation
  • guidance to support agencies. 

Horizon 2 initiatives (years 2 to 3)

Long-term insights briefing

Develop an insights briefing on emerging technology to inform thinking and decision making on specific policy and workforce challenges that may affect Australia and the APS in the medium and long term.

Skills forecasting and program policy alignment

Collaborate with agencies to identify current and future skills needs, using data collection from Digital Investment Plans, Career Pathfinder, and/or direct engagements.

Align data, digital and cyber workforce programs and policies, such as entry-level programs and learning and development offerings, to better address identified and anticipated critical skills gaps. 

Explore opportunities to enhance capability through Volume Sourcing Agreements and contracts that incorporate skills building.

Horizon 3 initiatives (years 4 to 5)

Digital skills directive

Develop a digital workforce policy or other appropriate instrument, aligned with contemporary policy development approaches and based on digital workforce data, to enhance APS-wide planning, data collection and reporting.

Supporting activities and enablers

Key activities underway that support this plan

APS workforce data

The Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) collects workforce information in a number of different ways to provide a full picture of the APS workforce. Regular data updates are published online, including:

APS Data Maturity Assessment Tool and guide

The Department of Finance has developed the Data Maturity Assessment Tool to provide agencies with a consistent approach to measuring and understanding their organisation’s data maturity.

The tool has been released for annual completion by in-scope government agencies. The tool’s results will help agencies understand and strengthen their data capabilities, identify their capability gaps, compare their progress against other agencies over time, and support cross-agency activities. The tool will provide evidence of the data maturity of the APS as a whole to support decision making and target investment.

The assessment tool complements existing mechanisms and is an important source of metrics to measure progress towards the Data and Digital Government Strategy’s 2030 vision.

APS digital maturity assessment

The Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) is currently working with agencies across the APS to explore a digital maturity assessment. A maturity assessment could provide agencies with a consistent approach to measuring and reporting their digital maturity and allow the DTA to adapt requirements for digital proposals and projects based on varying levels of agency maturity.

Data Job Role Personas

The suite of Data Job Role Personas developed by the Data Profession in collaboration with the Australian Taxation Office cover roles such as data architect, analyst, engineer, manager, scientist, steward and translator, as well as geospatial analyst, metadata specialist and statistician.

Each persona includes key descriptors to provide a common language as well as keywords at a glance, industry standards, key technologies, potential domain interactions and connections across the data lifecycle.

The personas assist agencies to describe essential skills and knowledge and enhance skills mapping.

APS Centre of Excellence for Workforce Planning 

The APS Centre of Excellence for Workforce Planning supports the implementation of Delivering for Tomorrow: APS Workforce Strategy 2025 through building and deploying a strategic workforce planning capability in the APS.

APS Workforce Metrics Modernisation Program

The APS Workforce Metrics Modernisation Program seeks to stabilise the APS Employment Database (APSED), improving its security, usability and functionality. The program aims to integrate APSED data with existing ABS data assets to enable APS agencies and external researchers to drive greater actionable insights from government employment data to support and improve government policy, programs and operations.

Framework for Governance of Indigenous Data

The Framework for Governance of Indigenous Data aims to provide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people greater agency over how their data are governed in the APS so government held data better reflects their priorities and aspirations.

Case study: Improving how we plan and deliver major digital investments

The Digital Transformation Agency: the Investment Oversight Framework

The Investment Oversight Framework (IOF) is a comprehensive management approach for digital and ICT-enabled investments across the Australian Government. The IOF supports the government in making informed decisions about digital investments, ensuring that they are well planned and that they are made at the right time and in the right way in order to realise planned benefits. Australia has been recognised as a world leader in this space as one of only five Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries with an integrated approach to digital investment oversight. 

The IOF helps agencies to align their digital investment plans with broader government priorities, ensuring that investments are strategically sound and deliver long-term benefits. 

The IOF helps agencies to align their digital investment plans with broader government priorities, ensuring that investments are strategically sound and deliver long-term benefits. This approach has enhanced consistency in the communication of agencies’ proposal and project resourcing, allowing for a more vertical view of the skills required for the government’s digital investment pipeline. This enables resourcing risks to be captured with more transparency leading to circular flow-on benefits to agencies, assisting them with their forward workforce planning and needs.

The IOF supports the vision of the Data and Digital Government Strategy by ensuring that digital investments align with the strategy's missions. One of the key elements of the strategy is to build a data and digital-capable APS. The IOF plays a crucial role in this mission by identifying capability gaps and prioritising investments that help to address these gaps. This helps to ensure that the workforce is equipped with the necessary skills and resources to support the government's digital transformation goals. The Framework's emphasis on strategic planning and continuous improvement helps build a mature and resilient digital workforce, capable of adapting to evolving technological demands.

Overall, the IOF provides a clear and consistent approach to digital investments, fostering a well-prepared and capable digital data and cyber workforce into the future.