Stress levels are rising, mental health is worsening and overall less public servants feel valued at work, according to results from the latest Public Service Employee Survey.
The Treasury Board Secretariat released the public service employee survey results from 2024 on June 23, showing a snapshot of regressed well being within the public service.
The federal government conducted the survey of employees from 93 departments and agencies between Oct. 28 and Dec. 31, 2024. Typically,
the survey is conducted
every two years.
In total, close to
one in four federal public servants experienced high or very high stress levels
, according to the survey results. Those levels were the worst since 2019.
Around 8 per cent of public servants said their stress levels were very high compared to 6 per cent the previous year, while 15 per cent said stress levels were high, compared to 13 per cent in 2022.
The level of public servants experiencing moderately high stress levels also saw a jump of 2 per cent from 37 to 39 per cent.
In general, around
8 per cent of public servants had poor mental health
, up from 6 per cent in 2022. Meanwhile, those with excellent mental health was down from 12 to 10 per cent, while those with very good mental health was down from 28 to 25 per cent.
The survey also found that more than a third of workers were either always or often emotionally drained after a workday.
Fewer public servants said they felt valued at work with around two-thirds, or 67 per cent, saying they felt valued in the 2024 survey. In 2022, around 71 per cent said they felt valued at work.
Around 20 per cent said they did not feel valued, which was up from 16 per cent in 2022.
The response rate for the 2024 survey was 50.5 per cent.
It’s unclear what could be the cause of worse results when it comes to workers’ stress and mental health. The size of the public
service shrink by almost 10,000 jobs,
after the Liberal government promised to shed 5,000 jobs over a number of years through a spending review.
In September, about a month before the survey started,
the federal government also mandated a return-to-office policy
of three days a week for public servants, and four days for executives.
The Treasury Board Secretariat did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
