As job advertisements increase month by month, the opportunity for the workforce to hire employees with disabilities continues to grow.
Indeed, 2021 will prove to be a great year of opportunity as the number of unemployed Australians fell from 1 million (at the height of the pandemic in 2020) to 952,100.
"Australians with disabilities have often been overlooked when hiring, with an employment rate of 48% compared to 80% of the population," said Steve Carder, general manager of DES (Disability Employment Service) at Work Australia.
"This is a missed opportunity as these people have proven to be extremely beneficial to company productivity, turnover and bottom line."
Mr. Carder says companies shouldn't see hiring a person with a disability as "… a problem to be overcome".
"It's well documented that employees with disabilities have lower sales and superior attendance towards their colleagues."
A 2018 US study shows that companies are four times more likely to outperform their competitors' shareholder returns by prioritizing the inclusion of people with disabilities.
The companies in the study achieved an average of 28% higher sales, 30% higher profit margins, and twice their net income.
In addition, in an average company that employs people with disabilities, employee retention increases by 90% so that they can focus on their business and not have to set a “revolving door”.
