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Ready, willing and able

By George Seymour - posted Tuesday, 14 September 2010


Work provides a sense of identity, independence and social connection. To a very large extent it is through employment that we form and frame our lives; on a daily basis and over time. With good reason a great deal of government policy at all levels is aimed at reducing unemployment, and politicians from all persuasions have often cited their three top priorities as “jobs, jobs and jobs”. Despite this we still see in Australia a high proportion of people with disabilities who are willing and able to work but find themselves repeatedly excluded from the workforce.

The social exclusion that comes from being shut out from this fundamental aspect of our society cuts deep. Aside from the obvious financial aspect of being able to more fully and independently participate in society, the sense of identity, purpose and self-esteem that comes with being gainfully employed helps us to place ourselves within the social fabric of our communities.

Australia was one of the first signatories to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This is an important international document, the purpose of which is to “promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity”.

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Article 27 of the Convention states that countries “shall safeguard and promote the realisation of the right to work”. This is a principle which must be a priority if we are to address the disadvantage faced by people with disabilities.

People with disabilities represent a significant proportion of the Australian working age population. However, they are vastly under represented in the workforce. Australia’s rate of workforce participation for people with a disability is lower than most other OECD countries. Thirty-five per cent of Australians with a disability receive their primary income through a wage, compared with 63 per cent of Australians without a disability.

The value of receiving a wage through meaningful employment extends beyond financial security - it is vital for social inclusion, for an individual’s physical and mental wellbeing and for their sense of identity.

Greater employment participation for people with disabilities would also facilitate greater participation by carers; another group of Australians who experience lower employment participation. We must strive for social inclusion, where social, political and economic participation is encouraged and available to all individuals.

The public sector should be leading from the front on this issue. However, the proportion of federal public servants with a disability has been steadily declining in the years before and since the UN Convention was signed: 3.4 per cent in 2007, 3.2 per cent in 2008 and 3 per cent in 2009. That is a trend which is as disappointing as it is clear.

There should be employment targets set for federal, state and local governments as well as non-government organisations contracted by government to provide social services. Recognising this slide, the ACTU has called (PDF 94KB) for mandatory targets to be listed as key performance indicators for all government departments and statutory authorities, and for the achievement of such targets to be linked to departmental secretary bonus payment schemes.

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Some European countries have mandatory quotas for employment of people with disabilities in the private sector. A number of these have been shown to be effective, such as the Austrian Employment of People with Disabilities Legislation which requires firms to employ at least one disabled worker for every 25 non-disabled workers. The adoption of mandatory quotas is unlikely to be adopted in Australia and if considered it would have to be looked at very carefully as it could easily feed into the perception that employment of people with disabilities is “charity” rather than a mutually beneficial relationship in a fair and just society.

The barriers to workforce participation that have led other countries to establish quotas are consistent with those existing in the Australian context.

These barriers to employment are numerous and varied and many are external to an individual’s impairment. They can include the financial cost to participate, access issues, inflexible working conditions, and discrimination.

Physical accessibility continues to be a significant impediment to employment for people with disabilities. However, in most cases this can be readily and inexpensively addressed. Modifications to work sites can often be funded through the federally funded Workplace Modification Scheme. The availability of this and other schemes should in a large part address the disadvantage faced when seeking to enter the workforce. However, the most significant barrier is not physical access, it is attitudinal.

People with disabilities are often excluded at the outset from the workforce by negative employer and recruiter attitudes. Myth, perception and fear hold back understanding and acceptance in the workplace.

Submissions to the recent Shut Out Report (PDF 403KB) detailed difficulties in seeking, obtaining and retaining employment. The Report lists the biggest barrier identified as negative employer attitudes. These ranged from entrenched discrimination to misconceptions about the adjustments required for some people with disabilities. Reported discrimination occurred in those cases where otherwise qualified candidates for jobs were screened out or overlooked simply because of their disability.

There is a perception that people with a disability bring a higher occupational health and safety risk to the workplace and a higher absenteeism rate. However, the evidence shows (PDF 816KB) that this is not the case.

A study by Telstra found that employees with disabilities were more likely to stay with the company longer, had significantly less days absent and, when compared with staff who did not have a disability, there was no significant difference in the areas of performance, productivity and sales.

The level of awareness of incentives, services and supports available to employers to encourage employing people with disabilities is unfortunately very low. The case for a targeted public awareness campaign is strong here. In safeguarding and promoting the realisation of the right to work, the Federal Government has a role to play in increasing access to information and debunking the myths and stereotypes that are feeding this social exclusion.

With the ageing of the Australian population, skills shortages will emerge. This will give a greater imperative for the nation to utilise its entire potential workforce.

As a group, people with disabilities face disproportionate poverty and unemployment. If we are to create a truly socially inclusive society it is vital that barriers to workforce participation be dismantled.

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About the Author

George Seymour is a solicitor and local government councillor. He is the President of Youthcare Hervey Bay, a homeless shelter providing support to young people on the Fraser Coast, Queensland.

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