Employ My Ability: New Government Disability Employment Strategy
Employ My Ability sets out key priorities for creating a diverse, inclusive workforce. AimBig Employment can support people with a disability and employers in each of the key priority areas
The Australian Government’s Department of Social Services has released Employ My Ability – the Disability Employment Strategy. It is a framework for governments, employers, and the community to improve employment outcomes for people with a disability.
Let’s break it down to help you understand what it means for you and how we at AimBig can help.
What is it?
As Minister for Families and Social Services Anne Ruston explains, the Employ My Ability strategy is a 10-year commitment to improving employment opportunities for people with a disability. It sets out goals for a broader workplace that values all talents and “where people with disability can reach their full potential”.
Minister Ruston says: “Disability-confident employers send a clear message to the community that people with disability have skills and talents that are valued in the workplace.”
Focus on ability
The report focuses on the strengths of people with a disability; in other words, what are the positives they will bring to the workplace. It also sets out that everyone has a role:
- Employers – create inclusive workplaces
- Government – provide information, support and services
- Parents & carers – encourage and support ambition
- Teachers & career practitioners – ensure people with a disability have the same opportunities as their peers
It says everyone – employees, businesses, the wider community, and the economy – benefits when more people with a disability are employed.
Removing barriers:
The report recognises the problem is not that people with a disability can’t work, but that attitudes, practices and structures act as barriers to stop them. The strategy is about removing these barriers.
The employment gap for people with disability has barely changed in almost 20 years. Of the 4.4 million Australians with a disability in 2021, 53.4 per cent were employed. Some 84.1 per cent of Australians without a disability are employed, making the employment gap more than 29 per cent. More than 100,000 people with a disability actively sought work last year and didn’t find it.
Priority areas for change
The report identified four key areas to improve:
- Giving employers the tools and abilities to confidently hire, support, develop and retain more people with disability.
- Building skills, experience, and confidence of young people with disability and supporting them in their work and career choices.
- Making it easier for people with disability and employers to use employment services and supports
- Changing community perceptions about the capability of people with disability in the workplace.
How we can help
At AimBig Employment, our focus is on achieving the best outcomes for all clients. We support people with disability to secure and thrive in meaningful work, and we have the experience to match the right people with the right opportunities.
Our job coaches are skilled at building connections with businesses of all sizes to help employers create a diverse workforce and support them in supporting the needs of people with a disability.
AimBig Employment offers continuing post-placement ongoing support to both employee and employer. We also aim to break down perceptions and barriers for people with a disability and strongly advocate for their equal rights within the workplace.
As Minister Ruston says: “Having a career is so much more than just the means to pay bills. It contributes to a sense of identity and brings social, health and wellbeing benefits to individuals and their families.”
