NDIA Accountability Project

Employment and disability in Australia

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BANKWEST CURTIN ECONOMICS CENTRE

Employment and disability in Australia ONLINE REPORT LAUNCH

@BankwestCurtin #BCECEmploymentDisability

Improving Employment Outcomes

For People With Disability

  • Alex Buckland
  • Mike Dockery and disability
  • Alan Duncan
  • Valentina Sanchez Areñas in Australia
  • Panos Sotirakopoulos
  • Chris Twomey
  • Lili Loan Vu

Timeline of major policy reforms

Disability Services Act timeline

Key events:

e. 1986 Disability Services Act

e. 1992 Disability Discrimination Act

e. 2006 United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with a Disability

e. 2007 Australia becomes signatory of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with a Disability

e. 2008 National Disability Agreement signed by all states

e. 2008 United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with a Disability ratified

e. 2010-2020 National Disability Strategy - 1st 10-year strategy

e. 2011 National Disability Insurance Scheme introduced

e. 2019 Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability established

e. 2020 Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of people with Disability interim report

e. 2021-2031 Australian Disability Strategy – 2nd 10-year

e. 2023 Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of people with Disability final report

Conceptual framework Prevalence and nature of disability – HILDA, SDAC, Census

People with disability in

Australia

Prevalence and employment outcomes

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Disability prevalence By age and gender 1998 to 2018

Disability prevalence Females – by age and cohort, 2001 to 2022

Disability prevalence Males – by age and cohort, 2001 to 2022

Employment Rates by Level of Disability

Survey of Disability, ageing and carers: 2003 to 2018

Employment Penalty

Estimated employment penalty for people with disability 2003 to 2022

How does employment penalty vary?

Employment penalty by level of disability 1998 to 2018

Are our workplaces inclusive?

Workplace inclusion is more than simply being classified as employed.

Workplace culture affects inclusion, productivity and wellbeing.

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Employment transitions and churn

Labour market trajectories for people with and without disability

Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, 2015 to 2022

Underutilisation of people with disability

Underemployment ratio by gender and level of disability 2001 to 2022

Are people satisfied with their jobs?

Average job satisfaction by disability status 2022

What barriers do people with disability face?

Reasons for difficulties getting a job: jobseekers with and without disability

The wellbeing of people

with disability and

carers

Has wellbeing been improving for

Australians with disability and their carers?

Does labour market engagement affect

wellbeing?

How satisfied are you with….\n## Life satisfaction by aspect of life: people with and without disability

Has the wellbeing gap changed over time?

Life satisfaction by level of disability: 2001 to 2022

Are carers satisfied with their work?

Mean job satisfaction by carer status: 2005 to 2022

Are carers satisfied with their lives?

Life satisfaction by carer status: 2005 to 2022

Does work improve carers’ life satisfaction?

Effects of caring role and labour force status on life satisfaction: 2005 to 2022

Shifting the dial

How can we broaden access to employment for people with disabilities?

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Establish a National Disability Employment

Agency: A Work First

  • Based on universal right to meaningful work
  • Not mutual obligation or activity testing approach
  • Representation of people with disabilities in Labour market inclusion policy formulation and oversight must be part of the
  • Coordinate and align existing employment services for people with disabilities solution
  • Regular and consistent reporting of employment and wellbeing outcomes including measures of social inclusion, self-determination, and meaningful work. The default assumption should be that people with disabilities are able to access meaningful work.
  • Undertake evaluations and research and disseminate information on best practice

The economic return

to inclusion of

people with $16 billiondisability in Australia per year

Increasing the number of people with disability who are employed by 10 per cent would raise national economic output by…

Education Matters

Share of People With Bachelor’s Degree and Higher: 2001 To 2022

Education Matters

Employment Penalty by Education Level for People with Disability: HILDA and SDAC

Summary &

Recommendations

What policies and strategies can improve the employment prospects and workplace wellbeing of people with disabilities?

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Page Heading

1. Establish a National Disability Employment Agency

Key policy:

  • Similar to the US Office of Disability Employment Policy recommendations

2. Coordinate policy setting Labour market inclusion must relate to employment be part of the solution

  • Disability Employment Services, A work-first approach Australian Disability Enterprises the founded on the universal disability support pension right to meaningful

3. Leverage the capacity of the corporate sector employment for people with disability

Leverage the capacity of the corporate sector

Perceived barriers to employing National Disability people with disability Employment Agency:

Leverage the capacity of

the corporate sector

Perceived barriers to employing people with disability

National Disability Employment Agency:

  • Don’t know where to start
  • Link employees, services and employers

Levergage the capacity of

the corporate sector

Perceived barriers to employing people with disability

National Disability Employment Agency:

  • Don’t know where to start
  • Complexity of dealing with multiple agencies

Solutions

  • Link employees, services and employers
  • Integrate & coordinate policies

Leveraging the Capacity of

the Corporate Sector

Perceived Barriers to Employing People With Disability

National Disability Employment Agency:

  • Don’t know where to start
  • Link employees, services and employers
  • Complexity of dealing with multiple agencies
  • Integrate & coordinate policies
  • Subsidies for workplace adjustment & wage-productivity gap
  • Unsure about costs
  • Payments based on outcomes
  • Evaluation, communicate best practice

Page 34

4. Promote educational attainment

& education-to-work transition

Key policy recommendations

  • Early National intervention Partnership (from Agreement Year 9) between states and territories Labour market inclusion must be part of the solution

5. Leadership of public sector and

community organisations A work first approach founded on the universal right to meaningful employment for people with disability

6. Change attitudes

Of employers, workers, and the wider community

BANKWEST CURTIN ECONOMICS CENTRE

Employment and disability in Australia ONLINE REPORT LAUNCH

@BankwestCurtin #BCECEmploymentDisability