The Australian Public Service Commission says government workers spend too much time stuck in one job and have very few options to expand their horizons.

The APS State of the Service report for 2014-15, criticises the lack of staff mobility, and notes that 80 per cent of APS employees had only ever worked for one department.

“A number of barriers exist to the movement of staff between agencies, other government jurisdictions and the private sector,” the report said.

“Several are based on perceptions, while others are more structural.

“In 2015, only 1.6% of APS employees moved between agencies.”

The report said employees should be able to move more freely so as to develop their skills and get them prepared for management roles.

Personal leave was highlighted as a concern too.

The report found that personal leave rates were around 20 days per employee on average in several departments.

The average number of sick days per employee across all departments has risen from 7.8 in 2011-12, to 9 in 2014-15.

The report said a major factor determining how much time employees took off was their engagement with their jobs.

“Data collected this year shows that there is a complex but clear relationship between employee engagement and sick leave use,” it said.

“Importantly, the data shows a relationship between a range of attendance management practices, such as managers being appropriately supported in managing employee attendance, and sick leave.”