Department of Education staff attrition rate hits five-year high

The rate of Queensland Department of Education staff jacking in their jobs has hit a five-year peak following an alarming surge in the past two years.

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The rate of Queensland Department of Education staff jacking in their jobs has hit a five-year peak following an alarming surge in the past two years.

For the first time in five years, the Department’s total workforce shrunk after ending the 2021/22 financial year with a deficit of almost 750 staff compared to the previous year.

The state’s Acting Education Minister described the attrition increase as “very slight” and pointed to the new teachers’ enterprise bargaining agreement with improvised pay and conditions.

Education Minister Grace Grace was on leave when The Courier-Mail submitted questions to her office – these included requesting the exact number of staff lost and new staff hired for each of the five years, but they were not provided – but in response to a Question on Notice from LNP Gregory MP Lachlan Millar last month, she said:

“Attrition, or separation rates as they are termed, for the staff of government departments, are collected as part of the Minimum Obligatory Human Resource Information (MOHRI) Process.

“For the purposes of the MOHRI process, a separation is when a permanent employee leaves the Queensland Government.

“For the Department of Education, it is based on the annual headcount rate of permanent staff that separate from the agency and includes staff transferring to another government agency.”

In response to the questions put to Ms Grace by The Courier-Mail, Acting Education Minister Leanne Linard pointed to the new teachers’ EBA, which was approved in December – it includes an 11 per cent pay rise over three years and improved conditions such as a clause allowing educators to turn off their computers and phones once their work is done, in a move to reduce fatigue.

For the first time in five years, the Department’s total workforce shrunk after ending the 2021/22 financial year with a deficit of almost 750 staff. Picture: iStock

“There was a very slight increase in attrition rate among Department of Education staff during two very atypical years of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Ms Linard said.

“Since 2015, the Department of Education separation rate has remained between 4 and 5 per cent for teachers, and about 6.5 per cent for teacher aides.

“The Palaszczuk Government is on track to meeting its election commitment of employing the full-time equivalent of 6190 new teachers over four years.

“We have already met our commitment of hiring the full-time equivalent of more than 1139 new teacher aides in four years.

“The full-time equivalent of more than 3500 new teachers and 1500 teacher aides have been hired since the commitment was made.

“From 2015 to 2020, we employed 6000 new teachers and almost 1500 new teacher aides.”

LNP shadow education spokesman Dr Christian Rowan said the state deserved better.

“The Labor government has lost control of education in Queensland - declining workforce recruitment and retention, and less than optimal educational outcomes in literacy and numeracy,” he said.

In November, Ms Grace conceded that despite her government being on track to keep its promise of hiring 6190 teachers and 1150 teacher aides over four years, most of these new hires will be used to fill existing shortfalls.

Originally published as Department of Education staff attrition rate hits five-year high