2024 Disability Diversity & Inclusivity Index
The case for change: Why employing people with disability benefits all
Now in its sixth year, APM has published the Disability Diversity and Inclusivity Index of Australian Workplaces annually since 2019.
This year, we have chosen to focus on the concept of ‘disability confidence’ for employers, and included some tips to guide businesses in becoming more confident in hiring, retaining and developing people with disability in their workforce.
Read our latest research into the experience of job seekers with disability and the employers embracing the opportunity, along with our 10 tips to support employers to build a diverse, inclusive and productive workforce.
2023 Disability Diversity & Inclusivity Index
The 2023 DDI Index sheds additional light on the challenges people with disability of working age in Australia face in finding and staying in employment.
It also raises the issue of pay prospects, which combined with sustainable employment, provides a concerning disparity to the national average of working Australians without a disability.
Critically, the DDI Index highlights disparity in not just finding a job, but in ongoing job security for people with disability.
2022 Disability Diversity & Inclusivity Index
For 2022, the DDI Index returned a score of 57.2 out of 100.
An increase on 2021’s score of 56.2, this result was still in the neutral range and on par with the inaugural benchmark of 57.6 in 2020.
The 2022 research revealed many insights about how businesses were shifting their focus around employee wellbeing as they continued to recover from the impact of COVID-19.
2021 Disability Diversity & Inclusivity Index
Results in the 2021 DDI Index showed how job seekers were struggling to get past the myths and misconceptions of people with disability in the workplace.
More than 97% of employers believed there were benefits in hiring people with disability but many also said they believed they had no suitable roles for people with disability.
While most businesses embraced the benefits of disability employment, in many cases businesses believed it was altruistic, benefiting the employee, rather than the business itself.
Impact of COVID-19 on people with disability
This research lays bare the impact of COVID-19 on people with disability.
Conducted in May 2020 the powerful survey signals the extent to which people with disability want to have their voice heard, as they navigate challenges such as job loss, job insecurity, reduced hours and mental health issues.
