Guidelines for Attraction and Retention Incentives

Unless otherwise approved, an attraction and retention incentive:

• only applies to difficult to retain and fill, critical positions
• is paid as a flat dollar amount with subsequent periodic payments directly linked to identified milestones and/or targets (for example,  length of time served), statutory responsibilities and/or efficiencies; where a fortnightly (or other pay period used by the agency) payment is necessary to secure services of a suitable person, payment is made in the form of a flat dollar amount that provides an overall annual incentive equivalent to the value of the incentive paid as a periodic payment
• is not expressed as a percentage of applicable base salary
• includes consideration of the value of superannuation when determining the incentive amount
• is subject to confirmation and acceptance by the person that the incentive is for a fixed term and does not constitute an ongoing entitlement.

Approval of an attraction and retention incentive is subject to demonstration of one or more of the following:

1. Employees are engaged in key or critical roles (e.g. with statutory and/or regulatory responsibilities) that have a clear and significant impact on specific government endorsed priority services.
2. There is a clear and significant public interest to ensure the government has the necessary skilled and experienced employees to deliver services (e.g. public safety).
3. There is evidence of specific industry labour market linked operational attraction and retention issues. These may include significant difficulties in attracting and retaining employees in positions in remote areas.

A submission includes (unless demonstrated as not applicable):

• assessment of the labour market supply and demand issues for the specific professional/occupational group
• details of the impact and/or statutory or regulatory risks if the position remains vacant
• workforce management strategies to mitigate the identified risks (i.e. skills development programs and specific recruitment strategies as well as analysis of the expected outcomes of these strategies)
• justification for the incentives, and reliable labour market data which has been analysed in comparison to the agency’s positions identified as experiencing critical skills shortages
• nature and environment in which the work is undertaken in the private sector which may not apply to the public sector
• details of the positions to be advertised to attract people with the required skills and/or the names and positions of each person proposed to receive an ARI
• duration of the incentive including justification for the proposed period
• any potential flow on impacts to other roles
• how and when the attraction and retention components of the incentive are to be applied.

A new submission is required whenever there is a:

• change being considered to an approved incentive 
• need to provide a new incentive at the conclusion of the specified period of a previously approved incentive.