Public service chief urges heads to understand Gen Z employees in fast changing world

The public administration must embrace the ambition and differentness of Gen Z employees, public service chief Tony Sultana told a gathering of public service leaders.

Sultana was speaking at the opening of the Public Service Expo in Ta’ Qali, which is showcasing the varied work carried out by the public administration.

Young employees make up 25% of the public service headcount, according to figures shared by the head of Sultana’s office in a conference that followed his speech.

“These are employees who look at life differently, so before we give them lessons, we must understand them… Our capacity should be not only to attract them to the public administration, but also to keep them with us and turn them into better employees than we are,” Sultana said, adding that young employees have “courage, ambition, great abilities and are not afraid to change”.

The Principal Permanent Secretary emphasised the need for the public sector to embrace technological innovation and urged public service heads to keep updating their skills.

“We are in an unprecedented time, where everything is changing at a fast pace and the skills of public officers also need to continue to evolve,” he said.

Sultana said that a new electrical government vehicle fleet with around 350 electric cars will start being rolled out and noted that over the past two years more than 65 collective agreements were closed from which at least 15,000 employees benefited.

Sultana also announced that the public service website has been renovated with a number of new features, making it more accessible to users.

He urged public officers to be proud to form part of the public administration because “everyone is important and has invaluable skills”.

The Principal Permanent Secretary’s speech was followed by a discussion focusing on ‘Strengthening Skills’.

The Public Service Expo will be open to the public as follows:

• Wednesday, 15 May from 12:30pm to 7:00pm
• Thursday, 16 May from 12:30pm to 7:00pm
• Friday, 17 May from 12:30pm to 5:00pm
• Saturday, 18 and Sunday 19 May from 10:00am to 4:00pm