The 2024 Public Employee Survey has revealed a decline in Canadian public servants’ confidence in their senior leadership and federal bureaucracy, with additional insights into workplace challenges.The survey found that 55% of respondents still have confidence in their department or agency’s senior management. That figure is down from 64% in 2022 and 68% in 2020.Around 33% of employees surveyed felt satisfied with their department or agency, and only 32% "strongly agreed" that their senior department managers exemplified ethical behavior.In an interview with the Canadian Press, David McLaughlin, executive editor at Canadian Government Executive Media and former president and CEO of the Institute on Governance, attributed the “softening” of management scores since the pandemic to “delivery fatigue.”.Federal bureaucracy grows by nearly 99,000 employees since 2016 .The survey highlighted workplace stress and mental health concerns, with 59% of respondents describing their workplace as “psychologically healthy,” down from 68% in 2022.Also of interest is that only 21% "strongly agreed" they could initiate a formal recourse process without fear of reprisal, while 49% of those polled felt essential information flowed effectively from senior management to staff, down from 57% in the previous survey.McLaughlin believes employees have faced mounting pressure to deliver “more and faster with a lot of shifting priorities and demands coming from the top.”He stated that employees would welcome a stronger emphasis on “performance excellence” but cautioned that replacing underperformers without addressing systemic barriers — such as outdated processes or technology — would be poorly received..Federal employees compelled to join nationwide staff meeting on equity.“What most public servants want is empowerment to do their jobs in the best way they can, without political or bureaucratic sand in the gears,” he said.On job fit and development, 55% said their department did a good job of supporting employee career development, down from 63% in 2022.The survey was administered by Statistics Canada between October 28 and December 31, 2024, and included 186,635 employees across 93 federal departments and agencies, achieving a 50.5% response rate.
