Employers including Woolworths, Coles and Kmart will take part in a trial aimed at increasing employment opportunities for people with disability.
The 18-month Federal Government program will assess the barriers facing Australians with disability in the workforce.
It hopes to improve career advancements and address high levels of unemployment among people with disability.
Disability employment in Australia
Just over half of the 4.4 million Australians with disability are in the workforce. Unemployment among people with disability is much
higher than the rest of Australia.
Workers with disability are over-represented in entry-level roles in Australia.
The trial hopes to upskill workers to take on more senior positions, including as managers and to serve on company boards.
The disability employment trial
It’s hoped the program will provide better insight into the barriers people with disability face in the workplace.
Specific components of the trial will be determined by employers and workers with disability.
One key component will focus on developing better capacity within workplaces to support employees with disability. Learnings from the program will inform measures towards achieving this.
Federal Government perspective
A trial program to support people with disability in the workplace was agreed to at the Government’s Jobs and Skills Summit last year.
The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability recommended increasing employment for people with disability in its final report earlier this year.
This included adding employment targets for graduate and executive-level jobs in the public sector.
