A change can be as good as a holiday and great for the CV. Photo: File.
Looking for a change of scenery or a different challenge but don’t want to commit to a permanent switch and unsure how to go about it?
A new dedicated board for temporary positions on the APS Jobs site is now available, making these roles easier to find and apply for.
The mobility jobs board is open to Commonwealth employees.
They can apply for an opportunity advertised at their current classification or, in some circumstances, an equivalent classification. It can also be a higher classification if the agency advertising the role is offering temporary higher duties.
Non-ongoing employees are not eligible for temporary transfers but may be eligible for a secondment if the term is not more than the term of their engagement.
Contractors are not eligible.
The length of temporary transfers is not limited but the duration of a secondment has to be agreed between the home and host agency.
The jobs board shows that positions are mostly for terms of six or 12 months.
The Australian Public Service Commission says temporary moves can take many forms including secondments, temporary transfers, short-term moves within your organisation, and leave without pay (LWOP) arrangements.
In its guide to employees, the APSC promotes the short-term moves outside a usual role as providing new experiences and perspectives. They allow staff to support a government priority or even an APS surge response to a national crisis, and contribute to work with an immediate, direct impact on the Australian community.
The benefits can include improved knowledge and specialist skills; greater versatility and adaptability; developing leadership capability, professional networks and better decision-making; interpersonal skills; and resilience.
A survey of staff in 2021 showed 20.4 per cent had last taken a temporary move in the previous 12 months, 13 per cent one to three years beforehand and 13.4 per cent more than three years prior, while more than half (53.2 per cent) said they hadn’t.
The vast majority of moves (82.8 per cent) had been within an agency, 17.6 per cent with another APS or commonwealth government agency, 1.3 per cent with a state or territory government agency, 1.3 per cent in the private, not-for-profit or academic sectors, and 3.2 per cent in other places.
The pandemic prompted more movement within the APS to meet surge requirements but the mobility push fits with the notion of one service, the reduction in silos and an APS flexible enough to respond to specific needs across the service.
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