When we talk about hiring and being hired for new positions, it speaks to the issue of managing a career path within a large organization. In a large organization that's not growing, it can become especially frustrating not to get those promotions. If you think of the organization as pyramidal in shape, over time that pyramid has to be maintained. Otherwise, if it inverts it's too expensive and overly top heavy.
Are there things that the public service is doing better with respect to providing people with opportunities? Maybe this could be done through a series of lateral moves that keep jobs interesting and keep people motivated and give them learning opportunities—even though they aren't being promoted all the time. Are HR practices being put in place to satisfy some of those needs that people have in the public service?