What happens if I employ a person with disability who, due to the effect of their disability, is not able to work at the same productivity levels as their co-workers?
Currently, most people with disability work at productivity levels equivalent to their co-workers and receive a full award wage.
If you do employ a person with disability, who, due to the effect of their disability, is not able to work at the same productivity levels as their co-workers, then you may be able to access the Supported Wage System.
Supported Wage System
The Supported Wage System enables the legal payment of a productivity based, or ‘pro rata’ wage.
People with disability who access the Supported Wage System retain the same employment conditions as their co-workers under the relevant award or industrial agreement, for example, annual leave, long service leave and access to training. The assessed percentage of productivity applies only to the wage rate.
A person eligible to participate in the Supported Wage System may be independently assessed as having a productivity level of 80 per cent, compared with the productivity of co-workers without disability who are performing the same (or similar) duties.
For example, Paul has Cerebral Palsy, which affects the mobility in his upper arms. He can stack 15 shelves per hour, whereas his co-worker, Daniel, can stack 20 shelves per hour. In this example, Paul would be eligible for the Supported Wage System, and the employer can agree to an ongoing employment relationship where the rate of pay would be 80 per cent of the full wage rate.
This means that for you, dollar for dollar, a worker with disability is just as productive as a worker without disability. Employees who are eligible for the Supported Wage System can compete fairly for jobs in the open workforce.
For more information on Supported Wage System, visit: