About the 2024 Survey

Goal

The Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) provides information to help improve people management practices in the federal public service. Departments and agencies will be able to identify their areas of strength and concern related to topics such as:

• employee engagement
• anti-racism
• equity and inclusion
• workplace well-being

The survey results will track progress over time to help develop and refine action plans.

Employees are given an opportunity to share their experiences to help improve the quality of the federal workplace. Better people management leads to better results for the public service and Canadians.

Evolution of questions

Each iteration of the Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) includes recurring questions to measure progress cycle over cycle as well as new or modified questions to reflect current priorities and initiatives. Questions are added following ongoing consultative engagement with various partners and employee network groups across the public service.

The 2024 PSES introduces updated Employment Equity demographic questions as part of an initiative to measure progress on efforts to improve diversity and inclusion. This data will be used in tandem with operational data to drive improvements in the employee workplace experience.

At the same time, the 2024 PSES streamlined a number of questions related to the hybrid work experience. Some of these questions, which were introduced during the exceptional COVID-19 situation, are either no longer relevant or the data is captured through other questions in the survey. For example, the 2024 PSES demographic question on work arrangement will enable an analysis that captures the experience of employees in tandem with all other themes (for example, well-being, inclusion, leadership).

Timing

The 2024 PSES will run from October 28, 2024 to December 31, 2024. The PSES will take place every 2 years.

Survey administrator

Statistics Canada will administer the 2024 PSES in partnership with the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.

Eligibility to participate

Employees in participating departments and separate agencies are eligible to complete the PSES.

Confidentiality of responses

The Statistics Act requires Statistics Canada to protect the confidentiality of employees’ responses and ensure that no data are released that can be traced to individuals.

To safeguard respondents’ identities and to ensure the confidentiality of responses:

• responses are always grouped
• no data will be available for groups of fewer than 10 respondents
• individual responses are not published or shared with government departments or agencies

Learn more about how Statistics Canada protects your privacy and confidentiality by visiting Statistics Canada’s Trust Centre.

Survey results

Results of the 2024 PSES will be available in the summer of 2025.

Departments and agencies are encouraged to discuss the survey findings with their employees and develop solutions to issues raised in the survey.

Survey results will also support the:

• Federal Public Service Workplace Mental Health Strategy
• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s Departmental Results Framework
• Call to Action on Anti-Racism, Equity, and Inclusion in the Federal Public Service