Work environment

Highlights of the ATO's 2026 employee census results on working in the APS.

Published 6 October 2026

Work environment results

Overall results on working in the APS
Statement	Positive	Neutral	Negative
I am supported to use my expertise to provide frank and fearless advice	74%	18%	8%
The people in my workgroup demonstrate stewardship	79%	17%	4%
The culture in my agency supports people to act with integrity	87%	9%	4%
I believe strongly in the purpose and objectives of the APS	89%	9%	1%
I feel a strong personal attachment to the APS	73%	21%	6%
My workgroup considers the people and businesses affected by what we do	86%	11%	3%

Working in the APS variance 1
Statement	Variance from 2025	Variance from APS overall
I am supported to use my expertise to provide frank and fearless advice	+1	+6
The people in my workgroup demonstrate stewardship	+1	+3
The culture in my agency supports people to act with integrity	+1	+8
I believe strongly in the purpose and objectives of the APS	0	+2
I feel a strong personal attachment to the APS	+1	+6
My workgroup considers the people and businesses affected by what we do	0	+2

Working in the APS variance 2
Statement	Variance from larger operational agencies	Variance from extra-large sized agencies
I am supported to use my expertise to provide frank and fearless advice	+5	+5
The people in my workgroup demonstrate stewardship	+4	+4
The culture in my agency supports people to act with integrity	+9	+8
I believe strongly in the purpose and objectives of the APS	+2	+2
I feel a strong personal attachment to the APS	+5	+4
My workgroup considers the people and businesses affected by what we do	+4	+4

Job satisfaction

Overall results on job satisfaction
Statement	Positive	Neutral	Negative
I am satisfied with the recognition I receive for doing a good job	70%	19%	11%
I am fairly remunerated (e.g. salary, superannuation) for the work I do	63%	19%	18%
I am satisfied with my non-monetary employment conditions (e.g. leave, flexible work arrangements, other benefits)	88%	8%	4%
I am satisfied with the stability and security of my job	91%	7%	3%

Job satisfaction variance 1
Statement	Variance from 2025	Variance from APS overall
I am satisfied with the recognition I receive for doing a good job	0	+4
I am fairly remunerated (e.g. salary, superannuation) for the work I do	−3	+2
I am satisfied with my non-monetary employment conditions (e.g. leave, flexible work arrangements, other benefits)	−2	+5
I am satisfied with the stability and security of my job	0	+8

Job satisfaction variance 2
Statement	Variance from larger operational agencies	Variance from extra-large sized agencies
I am satisfied with the recognition I receive for doing a good job	+7	+7
I am fairly remunerated (e.g. salary, superannuation) for the work I do	+7	+8
I am satisfied with my non-monetary employment conditions (e.g. leave, flexible work arrangements, other benefits)	+7	+7
I am satisfied with the stability and security of my job	+7	+7

Clarity and autonomy

Overall results on clarity and autonomy
Statement	Positive	Neutral	Negative
I understand how my role contributes to achieving an outcome for the Australian public	94%	5%	1%
I am clear what my duties and responsibilities are	87%	10%	3%
I have a choice in deciding how I do my work	69%	22%	8%
Where appropriate, I am able to take part in decisions that affect my job	74%	16%	10%

Clarity and autonomy variance 1
Statement	Variance from 2025	Variance from APS overall
I understand how my role contributes to achieving an outcome for the Australian public	0	+2
I am clear what my duties and responsibilities are	+1	+4
I have a choice in deciding how I do my work	0	+3
Where appropriate, I am able to take part in decisions that affect my job	+1	+5

Clarity and autonomy variance 2
Statement	Variance from larger operational agencies	Variance from extra-large sized agencies
I understand how my role contributes to achieving an outcome for the Australian public	+2	+2
I am clear what my duties and responsibilities are	+3	+3
I have a choice in deciding how I do my work	+7	+8
Where appropriate, I am able to take part in decisions that affect my job	+6	+6

QC108142