Most research on skill and the labour process (most notably the deskilling debates) has concentrated on private sector organizations. Very few empirical studies have considered skill and the organization of work in relation to public servants. Employ ment officers, the primary operational level in the Commonwealth Employment Service, are the focus of this paper. Between the early 1970s and 1990 their roles and skills were transformed as a consequence of the combination of policy, organizational and technological changes. The changing roles of the Commonwealth Employment Service were reflected in the skill shifts of its employment officers. Clusters of appropriate skills were required at specific points. Individual elements within these clusters were deskilled, reskilled or upgraded, sometimes simultaneously. The most significant aspect is the shift from traditional bureaucrat to professional service deliverer, with a subsequent recognition of 'personality skills'. These personality skills have become incorporated as requirements of the job, and are no longer individual capabilities.
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