OPS 101
A few quick facts about the Ontario Public Service.
- We are one of the largest employers in the province, with more than 60,000 employees.
- We operate in cities and regions all over Ontario.
- We offer an enormous range of career opportunities in different fields.
- What we do affects the lives of 12.8 million Ontarians.
- Health Care. Education. Justice. Environment. Economic Development. Social Services.
Transportation. Natural Resources. Agriculture. We are involved in all these sectors,
and more.
There are stereotypes of government work that portray public service jobs as tedious
and cut off from the demands of real life. If you have these misconceptions, we
want you to know how wrong you are! On any given day…
…one of our pilots may be flying a water bomber over a northern forest to contain
a fire threatening a community, while our firefighters battle the flames on the
ground;
…a youth recruiter is meeting university or college students at a job fair to talk
about career opportunities in the public service;
…a transportation inspector is pulling over trucks on the highway to make sure the
vehicles are safe and the loads are properly secured and labeled;
…a youth outreach worker is meeting with school officials and community workers
to talk about strategies to help at-risk youth;
…one of our media relations staff is dashing to a news conference with background
materials for journalists attending an announcement by a Minister;
…a policy team is developing options for a submission to Cabinet on a new policy
or new legislation that will affect every Ontarian;
There is another stereotype that public service employees are stuck forever in the
same job doing the same thing. In reality, there is lots of mobility with almost
every career you can think of being found somewhere in the 60,000-plus employees
across the OPS. And employees are supported when they seek developmental assignments
and new job experiences within the public service.
Once you join the OPS, you will have a world of opportunities open to you in more
than 25 ministries and special offices.
