A prominent sector HR expert says managers in the Australian public service are struggling to manage.

Talent management expert Karen Evans says management-level PAS workers are finding it hard to cope with demands placed on them by reform of the Commonwealth bureaucracy.

As departments strive to wring more value out of their supervisors, public servants at the middle-management EL1 and 2 levels are now expected to lead teams of up to ten people.

It is a big step up for workers who are used to managing two, one or even no team members.

But Ms Evans, Managing Director of talent management technology firm Acendre, says expanding control could have unexpected consequences.

“EL1s and EL2s are being asked to manage an increasing number of direct reports and will need to work harder to maintain engagement to ensure productivity levels,” Ms Evans told Fairfax reporters.

“The APS is skewing older than ever and there needs to be a plan to manage the retirement tsunami and encourage younger members and graduates to join the APS, or agencies could suffer a brain drain.

“There's a need to get younger people in so when the ageing population leaves the workforce, we've stocked up behind ourselves so that knowledge is transferred.

“Fourty-one per cent of the engagements were at the grad level, funnily enough, of the people who left, there were 74 grads and entry level people who left and 64 of those were resignations.

“That's a pretty big percentage, so there is an engagement issue.

“It seems they are getting them, they're just not keeping them.

“In the non-ongoing space, there was 19.6 per cent under 25 compared to 18.2 per cent who were over 55.

“If you could shift that around, getting your younger people in as permanent employees.

“You definitely need a shift around that massive difference between non-ongoing and ongoing in the under-25 age group.”

She said there were some positive signs though, citing the recent Talent Management Guide from the Public Service Commission.

“I thought the talent management guide was really good, we've seen a few tenders come out that are much broader than just recruitment, looking at performance management and development too.”