Toward Representative Bureaucracy
| Date | 01 December 2015 |
| Published date | 01 December 2015 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0734371X14544546 |
| Author | Greg J. Sears,Eddy S. Ng |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
research-article2014
Article
Review of Public Personnel Administration
2015, Vol. 35(4) 367 –385
Toward Representative
© The Author(s) 2014
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DOI: 10.1177/0734371X14544546
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Public Service Attraction
Among Underrepresented
Groups in Canada
Eddy S. Ng1 and Greg J. Sears2
Abstract
To deliver truly representative and effective democratic governance, a public service
(PS) should employ individuals from diverse backgrounds throughout its workforce.
In the Canadian government, patterns of underrepresentation persist for each of the
four employment equity (EE) groups. This study explores three questions: First, are
there differences between the four EE groups in terms of their attraction to jobs in
the public sector? Second, what are key work values that predict PS attraction? Third,
do EE groups differ in terms of these key work values? Based on a large-scale survey
of more than 12,000 final-year Canadian postsecondary students, results indicate that
women, Aboriginals, and persons with disabilities report higher levels of PS attraction
than visible minorities. Work values such as job security, commitment to social
responsibility, benefits, and commitment to diversity were strongly associated with
PS attraction, and EE groups differed in their evaluations of the relative importance
of these work values.
Keywords
diversity, gender and public personnel administration, affirmative action and equal
employment opportunity, recruitment and selection, representative bureaucracy
1Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
2Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Corresponding Author:
Eddy S. Ng, Rowe School of Business, Dalhousie University, 6100 University Avenue, Halifax, NS B3H
4R2, Canada.
Email: edng@dal.ca
368
Review of Public Personnel Administration 35(4)
Introduction
A pressing challenge for public sector employers is the issue of how to compete with
the private sector in attracting top talent to their organizations. In Canada, this issue is
particularly prominent in light of a tightening labor market and a looming skill short-
age stemming from factors such as a low birthrate and increased retirement among
older workers, that is, “baby boomers” (Burke & Ng, 2006; Jackson, 2012). As the
baby boomers exit the workforce, university and college graduates will be a significant
source of public service (PS) renewal. Indeed, recent initiatives aimed at renewing the
PS in Canada call for more intensive recruitment of younger workers and emphasize
the importance of recruiting individuals who reflect the full range of demographic
diversity comprising Canadian society (Clerk of the Privy Council, 2008, 2010).
Consistent with these renewal efforts, the Canadian Public Service Employment Act
(PSEA) mandates a PS that is representative of Canada’s diversity (Public Service
Commission of Canada, 2008, 2009). Specifically, the PSEA draws on the Employment
Equity Act (EEA) to address the underrepresentation of four designated groups,
namely, women, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities, and visible minorities1
(Public Service Commission of Canada, 2008). Despite various government efforts to
attract and retain individuals from these four underrepresented groups, significant
gaps currently exist at various levels in the public sector (“Employment Equity Act:
Annual Report 2010”; Senate of Canada, 2010). It is therefore critically important that
the PS enact policies and practices that enable more effective recruitment of individu-
als from these minority groups not only to ensure that PS institutions reflect Canadian
society but that they include some of the best and brightest talent from these groups
(Clerk of the Privy Council, 2008, 2010).
In this research, we aim to address the question of what factors may contribute to
minority group members’ attraction (or lack of attraction) to public sector employ-
ment. Specifically, we examine whether individuals from the four EEA designated
groups may vary in their attraction to public sector versus private sector employment
and their core work values associated with this sectoral preference. We also extend our
investigation to include sexual minorities or lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender
(LGBT) individuals, given the persistent discrimination they face in the workplace
(Angus Reid Public Opinion, 2011). To date, very little research has examined sectoral
preferences of minority group members as well as the specific work values underlying
these preferences. Both intrinsic and extrinsic work values, such as opportunities for
personal impact, interesting work, compensation, job security, and benefits, are known
to attract individuals to PS (Buelens & Van den Broeck, 2007; Crewson, 1997;
Houston, 2000). Thus, in this article, we examine three primary research questions.
First, are minority group members (i.e., women, visible minorities, Aboriginal peo-
ples, persons with disabilities, LGBT) more or less likely to desire public sector over
private sector careers? Second, what are the key work values that predict attraction to
public sector employment? Third, how do minority group members compare with the
majority group with respect to their preferences for the core work values that predict
PS attraction? Answers to these questions will advance our understanding of the
Ng and Sears
369
prevalence of PS attraction and the motives underlying attraction to public sector
employment among the underrepresented groups. This knowledge can, in turn, assist
public sector policy makers and managers in designing and implementing policies and
practices that enhance diversity in the public sector.
Representative Bureaucracy
Despite the changing demographic landscape in Canada, very little has been written on
the topic of representative bureaucracy in the Canadian public sector (Agocs, 2012).
Much of the existing literature on representative bureaucracy has focused on linguistic
representation pertaining to the French language, which ties in to issues of national
unity (e.g., Kernaghan, 1978; Rich, 1975; Wilson & Mullins, 1978). At the heart of
representative bureaucracy is the notion that a lack of fair representation in public sec-
tor institutions can result in the denial of opportunities and inequitable treatment for
those who are not members of the dominant group (Kingsley, 1944). Studies examin-
ing various direct and indirect outcomes of representative bureaucracy with respect to
gender, race, and sexual orientation have been conducted in the United States (Bradbury
& Kellough, 2011; Roch, Pitts, & Navarro, 2010; Thielemann & Stewart, 1996); how-
ever, such studies have been much less common in other countries (Miller, 2012;
Ncholo, 2000). In Canada, Ogmundson (2005) reviewed the effects of representative
bureaucracy and how the presence of women in government can lead to a greater con-
cern for women’s issues (e.g., jobs, child support, domestic abuse) and even the
appointment of women to higher-level positions (e.g., as female judges). Likewise,
Bouchard and Carroll (2002) argue that visible minorities may accrue several benefits
(e.g., changes in immigration admissions) when there is a stronger presence of indi-
viduals representing this group in the government. Similarly, Timpson (2006) dis-
cusses how the Government of Nunavut (a recently formed Canadian territory) actively
recruits and monitors the composition of its PS to ensure culture and language preser-
vation and a PS reflective of the population. We acknowledge that representative
bureaucracy has its limitations (e.g., Gidengil & Vengroll, 1997); however, given the
potential advantages of representative bureaucracy, particularly in face-to-face service
delivery areas (e.g., involving direct interactions with the public), we suggest that
achieving representative bureaucracy is an important objective. Furthermore, we also
suggest that achieving a representative bureaucracy is particularly important in the
context of the Canadian PS as Canada is the first country in the world to espouse an
official multiculturalism policy. The Multiculturalism Act, passed in 1988, is a policy
of inclusion and a means by which the federal government reaffirms multiculturalism
as a fundamental value of Canadian society and of the Government of Canada. As
such, all federal institutions must take multiculturalism into account in all their activi-
ties, and are held accountable for ensuring that they “carry on their activities in a man-
ner that is sensitive and responsive to the multicultural reality of Canada” (cf. Ng &
Metz, 2014). Consistent with this objective, the Canadian government has put in place
an EE policy aimed at ensuring that its PS is representative of the Canadian population
(Agocs, 2012; Winn, 1985).
370
Review of Public Personnel Administration 35(4)
Table 1. Employment Equity in Canada: Representation of Underrepresented Groups.
Aboriginal
Persons with
Visible
Women
peoples (%)
disabilities (%)
minorities (%)
(%)
Public sector
3.9
4.2
8.7
43.0
Private sectora
1.9
2.7
17.1
42.3
Labor market availability
3.1
4.7
14.5
48.6
Source. “Employment Equity Act: Annual Report 2010.”
aFederally regulated private sector.
A review of Canada’s EE suggests that it has fallen short of meeting its objective
for representative bureaucracy....
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