Wednesday 12th April 2023
Secretary of the Department of Personnel Management (DPM) Ms. Taies Sansan
says her department is implementing a number of strategies across the Public Sector to address the over -expenditures in public servants’ pay bill.
“Due to various National Executive Council (NEC) decisions, and undertakings by the Government to address issues of over expenditures in Pay Bill, DPM has implemented a number of strategies across the Public Sector to adopt the use of technology to drive these strategies.”
Speaking at the opening of the Department of Personnel Management (DPM) 6th Annual HRM Forum recently, Ms. Sansan informed participants the Digital HR Transformation is already in place.
“We will move away from the conventional way of perceiving digital transformation, and that is focused on technologically savvy,” Secretary Sansan said.
Ms. Sansan also highlighted key digital transformation interventions being undertaken by the department. These include:
– Upgrading of the Ascender Pay Integrated Payroll System from Version 12 to Version 20.
– Automation of the General Order 3 (Recruitment, Selection, Appointment & Staff Reporting) and the HR Business Process; and
– Collaboration with the PNG Civil & Identity Registry (PNGCIR) to ensure the 130,000 plus Public Servants are registered and have their National Identity Card (NID) and the next step is to have these registered public servants ID photos uploaded on the payroll.
Ms Sansan however said Version 21 of the Ascender Pay Integrated Payroll System is the latest, but it is a work in progress, and the current Ascender Payroll version HR modules are obsolete, meaning, this upgrade will enable us to do online recruitments, formulate online the Leave fares of Public Servants, apply performance management and others
Meantime two agencies, DPM and National Agriculture & Quarantine Inspection Authority (NAQIA), have completed their NID process while others are being progressed.
Ms. Sansan further stated that the last update as at pay 20 of 2022, public servants in NCD who were registered and have NID Cards stands at 96 Per cent of the total 7386.
“In provinces, only 39 per cent have NID, with registration still progressing by NID team despite funding challenges and environmental/location challenges.
“The fourth intervention is the creation of the Personnel Emoluments (PE) Dashboard which the Minister launched on 26th September 2022 at the Digital HR Transformation Forum.”
She said this PE Dashboard has been rolled-out to about 200 users and will give agency heads the access to HR Payroll data, such as information on their PE fortnightly trend; staffing and establishment; unattached officers; gender information in the PS and others.
“This Dashboard is being updated on a fortnightly basis so agency heads have first hand information to make decisions accordingly using this data,” she added.
The hosting of this two days HR Forum will enable DPM to communicate to the Public Service on the Decisions of the Government and how they can individually contribute
positively to achieving the desired outcomes.
Ms. Sansan further stated that it is important to highlight Government directions again on key areas such as; reducing public service costs and re-prioritising to essential area such a health, teaching and education, and law and order sectors.
“Our aim is to reduce costs in the administrative sector.”