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Ontario Public Service Workforce Statistics

The Ontario Public Service (OPS) is one of the province’s largest and most influential employers — shaping everything from healthcare oversight to infrastructure, education, courts, corrections, and policy design. Yet despite its size and impact, the workforce behind Ontario’s government operations is often misunderstood.

Whether you’re investigating labour trends, doing comparative research, or simply trying to understand how the OPS is changing over time, this hub provides the context, analysis, and explanations you need — backed by transparent, data-driven insights.

What Is the Ontario Public Service (OPS) Workforce?

The Ontario Public Service (OPS) is the core workforce responsible for delivering government programs, services, and regulatory functions across the province. While the broader “public sector” includes schools, hospitals, municipalities, agencies, and Crown corporations, the OPS specifically refers to the employees who work directly within Ontario’s ministries and central agencies.

These are the people behind policy development, frontline services, inspections, licensing, corrections, environmental monitoring, emergency response, regulatory oversight, and administrative operations that keep the provincial government functioning day to day.

What kinds of jobs are in the OPS?

The OPS workforce includes a surprisingly wide range of professions — from well-known public service roles to highly specialized, behind-the-scenes jobs that most people never hear about.

Common OPS Roles

  • Policy analysts
  • Correctional officers
  • Administrative assistants
  • IT specialists and cybersecurity analysts
  • Project managers
  • Human resources advisors
  • Financial analysts
  • Environmental scientists and inspectors

Uncommon or Less Visible OPS Roles

  • Forensic document examiners
  • Provincial archeologists
  • Fire behavior analysts and forest fire management technicians
  • Aviation operations officers (including waterbomber flight crews)
  • Radiation safety specialists
  • Wildlife biologists and conservation enforcement staff
  • Hydrologists and flood forecasting engineers
  • Bridge and structural safety inspectors
  • Geneticists working in agricultural and food safety divisions
  • Emergency management planners for natural disasters
  • GIS (geospatial) mapping technologists
  • Accessibility compliance auditors
  • Veterans and military program advisors

These roles show how diverse and technical the OPS has become, extending far beyond traditional “government office jobs.”

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the Ontario Public Service (OPS)?

The OPS is the core workforce that runs Ontario’s provincial ministries and central agencies. It includes employees who deliver programs, develop policy, enforce regulations, and support frontline and administrative operations across the province.

How is the OPS different from the broader public sector?

The broader public sector includes hospitals, schools, municipalities, and Crown agencies. The OPS refers only to employees who work directly for the Ontario government within ministries such as Health, Transportation, Finance, Environment, and more.

How many people work in the Ontario Public Service?

The exact number changes each year, but the OPS typically employs tens of thousands of staff across dozens of ministries, making it one of Ontario’s largest employers.

What types of jobs exist in the OPS?

Roles range from policy analysts, correctional officers, IT specialists, and environmental inspectors to lesser-known positions such as archeologists, hydrologists, radiation safety specialists, wildlife biologists, and geospatial mapping technologists.. Whenever possible, the guides explain additional earnings such as shift premiums, on-call pay, statutory holiday rates, longevity bonuses, and other compensation factors.

Are all OPS employees included on the Sunshine List?

No. Only employees who earn $100,000 or more appear on the Sunshine List. Many OPS jobs are below that threshold.

How is OPS compensation structured?

The OPS uses standardized salary ranges (“pay bands”) with defined steps for progression. Some jobs are unionized, while others are management or excluded positions with different compensation frameworks.

How often are OPS workforce statistics published?

OPS workforce statistics are typically released annually, often in the spring, covering demographics, job categories, representation data, and long-term trends.

What are the biggest long-term trends in OPS hiring?

Recent years have shown growth in technical roles such as digital services, cybersecurity, environmental science, emergency management, and data analysis, along with a shift toward hybrid work.

How diverse is the OPS workforce?

Annual reports show steady increases in representation among women, racialized employees, people with disabilities, and Indigenous employees—though representation varies by ministry and job category.

How can I analyze OPS workforce changes over time?

Our OPS Workforce Hub provides year-over-year comparisons, demographic breakdowns, salary trends, and sector-specific staffing patterns — allowing researchers and journalists to easily track changes in hiring, pay, and representation.

About Public Pay Pulse

Public Pay Pulse is an independent platform dedicated to government compensation transparency. We provide in-depth salary analysis, sector breakdowns, and public-sector workforce insights to support journalists, watchdog organizations, researchers, and the public.

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