A new survey is seeking the views of thousands of Australian Public Service workers employed through labour hire.

The new survey mirrors the Australian Public Service Commission’s annual employee census, covering workplace issues including staff wellbeing, leadership, and development.

The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) has called on public sector labour hire staff to take the survey, arguing it will “ensure that the government cannot ignore labour hire workers any longer”.

“Labour hire workers deserve respect, job security and equal pay for equal work, and they deserve to be heard,” it said.

The survey is accessible here.

CPSU national secretary Melissa Donnelly said workers brought in through labour hire now make up a significant proportion of the APS.

“We know that because of this staffing cap there are around 20,000 workers on labour hire in the APS. In fact in some agencies over 40 per cent of their workforce are staffed with workers who are not directly employed but are contracted through labour hire companies,” she said.

“Every year the government counts its staff, and seeks feedback from its workforce, but due to the ASL [average staffing level] cap tens of thousands of workers that deliver for the public sector are left without a voice, ignored by the government and the APSC.

“The government is trying to privatise the public sector by stealth, and at the same time is refusing to acknowledge or hear from the workers they rely on.”