Generational Shift in the Federal Public Service

A recent Statistics Canada report showed that, for the first time, millennials now outnumber baby boomers in Canada. This generational shift has implications for the public service both in terms of implications for policy development and service delivery, but also because the public service is a workplace of its own. The values and ethics that shape and guide the work of the public service must be contemplated in the context of the cultural shifts that accompany the current generational trends.

John Hannaford, the Clerk of the Privy Council, has made the “reaffirmation” of organizational values a priority. In this article by Kathryn May, Hannaford reflects on the implications of the “biggest demographic turnover in years” and the opportunity it poses for public service renewal.