Australian Public Service (APS) Employee Census

About the APS Employee Census

The APS Employee Census (the Census) is an annual survey designed to collect confidential attitude and opinion information from APS employees on various workplace issues. The Census is typically run over the month of May and closes early in early June each year. While participation is encouraged, completing the Census is voluntary.

The results of the Census help target strategies to build APS workplace capability now and, in the future, and inform the State of the Service report – the Australian Public Service Commissioner's annual report to Parliament on the state of the APS.

The Commission's results

The Census results assist the Commission in identifying areas of strong performance and opportunities for further development. They help to track how the Agency is progressing on key organisational strategies, initiatives, and workplace culture.

In 2025, the Census was completed by 93% of Commission staff, a strong response rate has provided valuable insights into how we’re tracking as an organisation and where we can continue to grow.

The Highlights report summarises the Productivity Commission’s Census results across various areas and includes aggregated agency data, noting all Census reporting is subject to strict privacy rules.

The Australian Public Service Commission’s website provides access to the APS overall results and agency-specific results, along with an explanatory guide on how to interpret the results. The guide also provides further information on the purpose of, and approach to gathering, Census data.

Action plan

The 2025 Census action plan is being drafted and expected to be released in late November 2025.

The 2024 action plan outlines the areas we are proud of, our five focus areas and our commitment to improvement. The top five focus areas are:

1. Change management
2. SES leadership
3. Workplace culture
4. Innovation
5. Collaboration, communication, and engagement.

Download the 2025 Census results

• 2025 Highlights report (PDF - 1.4 MB)

2025 Highlights report (Excel - 128.6 KB)