Employment Categories
Public Service
Employees may be employed full-time or part-time on an ongoing, fixed term or casual basis depending on the staffing needs identified in the Divisional/Regional Office workforce plan. A manager must determine a usual place or places of work for his/her employees.
Ongoing Employment
The Department is committed to use ongoing employment where possible, but will also use alternative modes of employment where these are appropriate.
The use of fixed term, casual or agency staff will not be for the purpose of undermining the job security or conditions of ongoing employees.
Fixed Term Employment
While the Department is committed to the standard mode of employment being ongoing, fixed term employment is appropriate in the following circumstances when a person is employed for a fixed period of time:
- to replace an employee who is absent on approved leave or undertaking a temporary assignment or secondment elsewhere in the public service;
- to meet fluctuating client and staffing needs and unexpected increased workloads;
- to undertake a specific but finite task (possibly linked to one-off funding from an external source);
- to temporarily fill a vacancy where, following an appropriate selection process, a suitable ongoing employee is not available;
- to fill a vacant role while a review of an area is undertaken, provided that such appointment does not exceed a period of 12 months.
Where a manager considers that a position should be filled on a fixed term basis in circumstances other than those identified above, the manager should contact Corporate HR Services for advice. Employment in a position on a fixed term basis shall be limited to a maximum of three years. It should be noted that the three year limitation does not apply in cases of filling a vacancy due to the absence of an employee on parental leave.
Where an employee is posted overseas the limitations on the use of fixed term employment outlined above do not apply.
A fixed term employee must be provided, in writing or electronically, the reason for their fixed term employment. Where the CPSU or ANF identifies a fixed term position that does not meet the above criteria, it can refer such a position to the Department for reconsideration of the mode of employment. The matter can be dealt with through the Review of Action (Personal Grievance) process should the status of the position not be resolved.
Casual Employment
A person may be employed on a casual basis to meet short term or seasonal work demands which are not continuing, or to meet specialist skill requirements which will not be required on a continuing or frequently recurring basis, and would not be anticipated to be met from existing staffing levels.
Casual employees should be employed or engaged for periods of not less than three consecutive hours in any day or no more than six weeks. The hourly rate for Casual employees includes a loading of 25% which is in addition to the applicable hourly rate of pay for fixed term and ongoing employees, as compensation in lieu of leave entitlements (refer to Salaries under Related Topics below for rates of pay.
Where short term or seasonal employment is required for periods of longer than six weeks, employees should be employed on a fixed term basis. The engagement of an agency to provide staff in lieu of employing casual employees should only occur where direct employment is not practical.
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