Nearly a decade after its launch, the Phoenix pay system continues to be a source of stress for most federal public service workers, impacting their careers, fueling anxiety, and contributing to a growing pay backlog [[1]]. A 2024 Public Service Employee Survey found that one in five respondents-over 41,000 workers-experienced pay problems in the past year, with more than half of those issues remaining unresolved [[2]].
Sixty-two percent of federal workers report feeling stressed about the accuracy of their paychecks,and one in five say these pay issues cause importent stress in their work lives,a minimal enhancement from two years ago [[3]]. The situation is also hindering career advancement, with one-third of workers concerned that job transfers will lead to pay complications that take months to correct.This fear prevents many from applying for promotions or seeking new opportunities within the public service. Moreover, over half of workers are dissatisfied with the support they receive from their departments when these problems arise, a situation that has remained largely unchanged as 2022.
The backlog of phoenix pay cases, while trending downward from 372,000 in January to 304,000 in June, is still progressing too slowly for the tens of thousands of affected workers. While the caseload has decreased by nearly 70,000 in the first half of 2025, the government is failing to meet its service standards in 69% of active files, and nearly half-150,000 cases-have been unresolved for over a year. At the current rate, resolving the backlog could take another decade.Workers deserve a functional system and justice for the years of stress and financial harm caused by this ongoing failure. [[1]]
