Merit has been the foundation of staffing in the public service for the past 100 years. Over that time, it has developed into the provision that exists today in section 8 of the Public Service Act. This states that appointments to, and from within, the public service are to be based on the principle of merit.

Merit means that appointments are made on the basis of an assessment of competence and ability to do the job, and are non-partisan.

The Act sets out a number of factors that must be considered in determining merit. These include the applicant's education, skills, knowledge, experience, past work performance and years of continuous service in the public service.

The Act distinguishes between permanent and longer-term temporary appointments and those that are seasonal or short-term temporary appointments.

Specifically, permanent appointments and temporary appointments exceeding seven months are to be the result of a process designed to appraise the knowledge, skills and abilities of eligible applicants. Employees with permanent and longer-term appointments form part of the core professional career public service on which government relies for advice and expertise. It makes sense that the Act sets a more rigorous standard for making these types of appointments.

These appointments require recruitment to attract applicants. Individuals are assessed for merit against the selection criteria required for the job. A competitive process allows applicants to be rated and ranked relative to one another, so that those who are successful are the best-qualified candidates.

Auxiliary, seasonal appointments or those for temporary periods of seven months or less still need to be based on a consideration of individual merit, but they do not require a competitive process.

The recruitment and selection processes that result in merit-based appointments include these essential elements: the process used to recruit, select and assess is transparent and fair; the assessment used is relevant to the job; and decisions that are made are reasonable. Merit-based hiring considers the legislation and hiring policy. Where applicable, it also considers collective agreement requirements.

These principles support a results-based approach to staffing and are considered in the Merit Commissioner’s audit and review of appointment decisions.