This report explores the concept of merit in recruitment practices in a modern public sector context, drawing on interviews from three different jurisdictions in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. It outlines a set of key actions and details the latest thinking and practice for governments to consider in their respective recruitment and selection processes.

Four years on from the initial pandemic lockdowns, working from home, in the form of hybrid working, is embedded. The Public Service Research Group has been examining working from home in the Australian public service (APS) since 2020, and in this report, they focus on the experiences of APS managers and supervisors.

This research was conducted to help identify how the Australian Capital Territory Public Service (ACTPS) can better support effective flexible working, focused on the role of technology, communication tools and the built environment.

This study demonstrates that while managers are becoming increasingly supportive of flexible working arrangements, managers and employees have different perceptions of employee productivity when work is done remotely.

This report synthesises the literature of the last decade, with a focus on literature emerging since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to identify issues that will affect working in the Australian Public Service (APS). It focuses on teleworking, but also examines activity-based working and remote working hubs.