>After 10 years of constant growth, the federal government now says there are too many senior executives in the public service, slowing productivity and creating workplace conflicts.
>In an internal memo Wednesday obtained by National Post, the federal Chief Human Resources Officer Jacqueline Bogden is clear: there are more assistant deputy ministers (421) in the bureaucracy than permanent positions at that level (355).
>Now, the top human resources official says her office will be cracking down on the overage, an exceptional move after years of substantial growth of the federal public service.
>Bogden said just the assistant deputy minister (ADM) — the second highest ranking position in most departments — cadre ballooned by 50 per cent (or 140) since 2015.
>[…]
>Bogden’s memo says her office is implementing two new measures until the end of the year to address the overage.
>The first aims to reduce the number of ADMs by reviewing existing positions, particularly “higher risk” situations where the senior executive is on a temporary assignment with no subsequent permanent position.
>The memo does not say if those positions will be demoted, eliminated or transformed into permanent positions to reduce the “overage.”
>The second aims to “contain” the growth of the ADM cadre by requiring all departments to get permission from her office before promoting a new person to the position.
>The internal announcement comes as Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government is asking most departments and agencies to find spending cuts worth 15 per cent by 2029.
>It also comes after years of tremendous growth of the public service under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic beginning in 2020. Over his tenure, the public service grew by over 100,000, from 257,000 in 2015 to 358,000 this year, according to government data.
>Though Bogden’s memo focuses on the ADM cadre, it also included a recent report by the Public Service Management Advisory Committee warning that there are too many executives overall in the public service.
>In fact, nearly half of all departments in the core public service are above the recommended average number of executives, according to the committee.
>[…]
>The boon, and now excess number, of senior executives has created significant risks for the public service, the committee warns, including poor performance and productivity issues.
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>After 10 years of constant growth, the federal government now says there are too many senior executives in the public service, slowing productivity and creating workplace conflicts.
>In an internal memo Wednesday obtained by National Post, the federal Chief Human Resources Officer Jacqueline Bogden is clear: there are more assistant deputy ministers (421) in the bureaucracy than permanent positions at that level (355).
>Now, the top human resources official says her office will be cracking down on the overage, an exceptional move after years of substantial growth of the federal public service.
>Bogden said just the assistant deputy minister (ADM) — the second highest ranking position in most departments — cadre ballooned by 50 per cent (or 140) since 2015.
>[…]
>Bogden’s memo says her office is implementing two new measures until the end of the year to address the overage.
>The first aims to reduce the number of ADMs by reviewing existing positions, particularly “higher risk” situations where the senior executive is on a temporary assignment with no subsequent permanent position.
>The memo does not say if those positions will be demoted, eliminated or transformed into permanent positions to reduce the “overage.”
>The second aims to “contain” the growth of the ADM cadre by requiring all departments to get permission from her office before promoting a new person to the position.
>The internal announcement comes as Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government is asking most departments and agencies to find spending cuts worth 15 per cent by 2029.
>It also comes after years of tremendous growth of the public service under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic beginning in 2020. Over his tenure, the public service grew by over 100,000, from 257,000 in 2015 to 358,000 this year, according to government data.
>Though Bogden’s memo focuses on the ADM cadre, it also included a recent report by the Public Service Management Advisory Committee warning that there are too many executives overall in the public service.
>In fact, nearly half of all departments in the core public service are above the recommended average number of executives, according to the committee.
>[…]
>The boon, and now excess number, of senior executives has created significant risks for the public service, the committee warns, including poor performance and productivity issues.
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