There is a significant disparity between the number of organisations who count employees with disability among their senior leadership and those who say they want to do more.
Survey data released by the Business Council of Australia (BCA) on Monday shows more than 90 per cent of members reporting they want to recruit more people living with a disability.
However, only six per cent reported having employees with disability at the executive or senior management level.
“We know our members are committed to the employment of people with disability. However, it is clear from our survey that there is a lag in translating this into action that enables a meaningful increase in employment outcomes,” BCA chief executive Jennifer Westacott said.
“Australia has one of the lowest employment rates for people with disability in the OECD, ranking at 21 out of the 29 countries. This means people with disability represent one of Australia’s greatest under-represented talent pools.”
If Australia moved into the top eight OECD countries for employing people with disability, the estimated economic benefit would add over $50 billion to Australia’s GDP by 2050, Ms Westacott said.
“In order to shift the dial in employment outcomes, we need a concerted effort to drive change from recruitment and job design and move from entry level jobs to advanced and executive roles as well as working with leadership teams,” she said.
“We know employment is key to unlocking economic security, independence and wellbeing but it is also fundamental to our national prosperity.”
In partnership with the Australian Network on Disability, the BCA on Monday released the results of the member survey conducted late last year.
Many businesses are open to making their workplaces more inclusive but don’t know where to start, Australian Network on Disability CEO Corene Strauss said.
“Once they can unlock some of the unintended barriers, the process to build an inclusive organisation for employees and customers is a game changer. And they need not fear it,” she said.
Almost 80 per cent of survey respondents stated their company had a dedicated diversity role committed to promoting inclusion, but 65 per cent reported limited resources as the main barrier preventing implementing employment initiatives.
Other key survey findings include more than 60 per cent of BCA members receiving applications from candidates with disabilities, and 86 per cent offering an accessible graduate recruitment process.
Just under 30 per cent reported an increase in the number of people employed with disabilities in the past 12 months.
