Weathering the storm : public sector employment security during decades of public management reform and the recent economic downturn

Employment security is a traditional characteristic of public employment, but has been affected by public management reforms and more recently by the global financial crisis. This article considers employment security through a case study of an Australian state public service. Queensland has only pursued moderate reforms but this has still challenged employment security. Institutional tensions became clear, as the central personnel agency defended and even strengthened employment security policies, while the central industrial relations agency issued potentially contradictory policies and departments thwarted policy intentions during implementation. The economic context arguably allowed for weaker scrutiny of new employment initiatives, and highlighted the tensions in the current powers and responsibilities of the central personnel agency.