Benefits of employing people with disability
One in five Australians live with disability. This includes those living with mental health conditions. If you don’t already employ people with disability, it’s likely that you will in the future.
What’s the business case?
People with disability bring a range of skills and abilities to the workplace. Employees with disability are:
- reliable – people with disability take fewer days off, take less sick leave and stay in their jobs longer than other workers.
- productive – when in the right job, people with disability work as well as others.
- good for business – people with disability build strong customer relationships. They boost staff morale and help create a diverse workforce. Employing people with disability can improve the company’s image as a place that reflects the community.
Employment success stories
Many employers in different industries have benefited from employing people with disability. Among these employers are:
- PwC Australia, a Professional services firm, employs Nicole Vongdara. She is a Senior Manager in Diversity and Inclusion. She says, ‘employees with disability bring valuable new perspectives, skills and diversity to our team’. Read a story about PwC’s diversity and inclusion program.
- William Angliss Institute, an Education employer. Paul Kloppenborg a manager of Learning and Information Services, hired Daniel Giddens as a Liaison Librarian. Daniel has Cerebral Palsy. As Paul says, Daniel is ‘breaking down some of the stereotypes of what people with disability can and can’t do’. Learn more about Paul and Daniel.
- Ebru Dogan, a Diversity and Inclusion Advisor at Gold Coast University Hospital, says that hiring people with disabilities 'brings a diversity of thought that is invaluable'. Read a story about Gold Coast University Hospital.
- Food service employer Compass Group Australia – Kathy Scott, Communications Manager, says, ‘In the past year, we’ve employed 77 people with that identify as having disability, and over that time we’ve had a 94% retention rate’. Read the success story of one of their employees with disability, Kevin Green.
What the research says about employer attitudes
Research by the Australian Government shows most Australian employers are open to hiring people with disability. This is a good sign, but there is room for improvement.
Most employers in the research knew the value or workers with disabilities. But many weren’t sure how to practically employ people with disabilities.
Barriers to employment
“The research told us that businesses want more help to transition from ‘willing’ to ‘hiring.’”
What stopped employers from hiring people with disability? Of the employers who were open to hiring people with disability:
- 44% are worried about integrating people with disability into the workforce
- 37% were unaware of disability employment, they saw hiring a person with disability as 'a step into the unknown'
A key finding is that businesses want to hire more people with disability. They want to move from just wanting to hire them, to actually hiring them.
Getting help from JobAccess
For free advice on hiring people with disability, contact our JobAccess Advisers. We can provide information on hiring, training and supporting employees with disability. We can also help with funding and government programs.
Attitudes by industry
The research found these industries are most open to hiring people with disability:
- professional and financial services
- retail, accommodation and food services
- social, healthcare and education services.
Most businesses in these industries believed it is important to include people with disability. Their workplace should reflect the community’s diversity. That included 83% of businesses in the education service, social care and healthcare industries.
Many of these businesses said equal work for people with disability was important to them.
Support for employers
A range of supports are available to help you employ people with disability. Contact a JobAccess Adviser for advice to get started, explore the resources on our website, or attend a free seminar for employers.
You may qualify for funding through the Employment Assistance Fund (EAF). It can cover costs for workplace changes, equipment and services to support an employee with disability. For all the details, go to Funding for changes in the workplace.
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Diversity makes good business sense
Find out why you should employ people with disability and how your workplace can benefit.