Merit 2.0: Factors in Merit Based Recruitment, Promotion and Retention in the Public Sector

This report is a desktop review of merit in the Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand public sectors commissioned by the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG). The report consists of three sections. The first examines debates around merit and the merit principle, based on academic and practitioner literature. The second is a review of the merit protection frameworks in three jurisdictions: the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Queensland (QLD), and Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ). The third contains an analysis of a selection of recruitment advertisements in the three jurisdictions to understand how merit is portrayed in recruitment material.

Merit has become a cornerstone of modern governance, with the merit principle deployed by Western governments and managers to ensure fairness and transparency in recruitment and selection, promotion and career development opportunities. However, there are multiple and shifting interpretations of merit within and across organisations which raises questions about inconsistent implementation. This has the potential to undermine the efficacy of the merit principle. Tension between merit and diversity and inclusion (D&I) presents challenges for governments and managers to effectively achieve positive D&I outcomes in their human resource (HR) practices and processes. Questions of consistency in interpretation of principles and D&I implementation present central problems that this research seeks to help governments navigate.

This Stage 1 report contributes towards answering the main research questions of the project, which are:

1. How is ‘merit’ understood and the merit principle operationalised in human resource (HR) systems and processes by managers and employees in the ACT, QLD, and NZ?

2. How is merit acquired, recognised and rewarded in the ACT, QLD, and Aotearoa NZ public sector HR systems and processes?

3. What lessons can be learned from jurisdictions that have reformed their conception and implementation of the merit principle?