Department of Labour Annual Report 2006
Equal employment opportunities report
Equal employment opportunities for everyone at all levels in the workplace
Reflecting the real world
The Department wants to lead by example, showing the value of a workforce that includes people from al sectors of New Zealand ’s diverse society.
The Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) focus through to 2010 is to ensure that the Department’s staff profile closely reflects the proportion of EEO groups in the labour force. The Department asks new appointees to voluntarily provide EEO information and achieved a 91% response rate in the past year.
Women
Currently 60% of staff are women, which represents a steady increase since 2001 when women made up 55.1% of staff. Among the staff younger than 30, the figure is 70%. The Department has identified that the steadily reducing number of men it employs may call for a response in the medium term.
Forty one per cent of women (compared with 24% of men) work in management support or administrative support roles. A further 41% work in client/field roles, which is where 52% of men work. Forty five per cent of managers are women, a percentage which has been increasing steadily. Eight per cent of women working for the Department work part-time.
The median salary for women in the Department is 90.9% of the male median salary. The difference is because of the occupational distribution of women in jobs where the female median salary is below the Department’s median salary.
The Department is developing a Pay and Employment Equity Response Plan to address women’s employment issues.
Maori
The EEO focus through to 2010 is to ensure that Maori will increasingly comprise a critical mass in each Department, in order to build public service capability. This critical mass is seen to be about 15% of staff.
Currently 7.6% of staff are Maori, down from 15.1% in 2001. This is the result of a series of departmental restructurings as labour force participation has changed with labour market changes. Maori staff work predominantly in the Workforce and Workplace business groups. Sixty nine per cent of Maori staff at the Department are women.
The majority of Maori staff (53%) work in client/field job roles, with a further 33% working in management support or support roles. Seventeen Maori staff are managers, representing 7.6% of managers. The under-representation of Maori in policy roles (1.5% of policy staff) has been a matter of concern for some years. The Department’s Maori Scholarships have not changed the situation and have been discontinued.
Imbalances in employment of Maori have implications for the Department and are being addressed by the Department’s Maori strategy.
Pacific peoples
The EEO focus to 2010 is to ensure that the proportion of Pacific staff more closely reflects the proportion of Pacific peoples in the labour force. The Department estimates this to be about 7%.
Currently, 8.8% of the Department’s staff are Pacific people, a slight decline from 9.4% in 2001. The Workforce business group employs almost all the Pacific staff (78%). Seventy one per cent of Pacific staff are women.
The majority of Pacific staff (57%) are in client/field roles with a further 31% in management support or support roles. Twelve Pacific people are managers, representing 5.4% of managers. Less than 1% of policy staff are Pacific peoples.
The Department’s Pacific strategy is currently under review.
Other ethnic groups
Currently 32% of the Department’s staff are from ethnic groups other than Maori, Pacific, or Pakeha/European. The number of Department staff from other ethnic groups has been increasing steadily. The Workforce Business Group employs two-thirds of staff from other ethnic groups. Sixty one per cent of staff from other ethnic groups are women.
The majority of staff from other ethnic groups (50%) are in client/field roles, with a further 34% in management support or support roles. Forty one are managers, representing 18.3% of managers. About 39% of policy staff are from other ethnic groups.
The Department now has an Ethnic Responsiveness Strategy that focuses on capability for the business.
People with a disability
The EEO focus to 2010 is to have the proportion of staff with a disability reflect the proportion of people with a disability in the workforce. We estimate this at about 12%.
Currently 4.4% of staff have told us they have a disability. This is a smaller percentage than 2001, when the comparable figure was 6.9%. Just over half of those with a recorded disability are women.
Eighty per cent of staff with a disability are aged 40 or over, down from 89% a year ago. Conversely, the proportion of those aged under 40 has increased from 11% to 20% in that period, as the Department has recruited younger people with disabilities. Fifty per cent of staff with a disability are in client contact/field roles, and 31% are in management support or other support. Sixteen per cent are in management.
Procedural fairness in human resource strategies , systems and practices
Restructuring the Department has provided the opportunity to:
- Confirm open, fair and transparent policies, processes, tools and support for managers and information for staff
- Align remuneration across the Department
- Emphasise feedback on performance and career development based on capabilities
- Incorporate diversity awareness in Human Resources Processes
- Promote agreed problem-solving methods.
The Department is leading the Government’s work programme on Work-life Balance and the Choices for Living, Caring and Working plan. This work will feed into the Department’s Human Resource policies.
The Department completed a gender pay and employment equity review in 2005/06. The review found that pay was equitable for a majority of staff and that policies were fair. However, the review also found that decision-making about salary and career progression has resulted in gaps in pay and employment equity for 40–49 year old women from the time of their appointment, and for women with 3–5 years’ service. A response plan based on the results of the review will be presented in the 2006/07 year.
Inclusive respectful and responsive culture
The EEO focus to 2010 is to have an inclusive respectful and responsive organisational culture that enables access to work, equitable career opportunities, and maximum participation for members of designated groups and all employees.
The pay and employment equity review highlighted significantly higher resignation rates for women who had worked for the Department for 3–5 years compared with men who had worked for the same length of time. The review found that female staff were seeking more support for career planning, including moving on from perceived female dominant roles, and wanted managers to address issues such as reduced hours to care for young children. However, staff felt the Department was particularly flexible and supportive around the full-time model of work. These findings will be used in developing a response plan in 2006/07.
The Department is promoting diversity awareness. Staff information and resources for managers cover workplace solutions for staff with disabilities and are based on the Department’s Disability Strategy.
Profile of Department employees
