{"id":27834,"date":"2023-01-05T22:43:10","date_gmt":"2023-01-05T14:43:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dingo.news\/voice\/?p=27834"},"modified":"2023-10-29T12:37:11","modified_gmt":"2023-10-29T04:37:11","slug":"deal-for-250000-disabled-to-get-jobs-by-greg-brown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dingo.news\/voice\/deal-for-250000-disabled-to-get-jobs-by-greg-brown\/","title":{"rendered":"Deal for 250,000 disabled to get jobs by Greg Brown"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Albanese government has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Business Council of Australia to implement a disability employment pilot scheme.<\/span><\/h2>\n

By Greg Brown<\/span>
\nJanuary 5, 2023<\/span><\/p>\n

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Business has struck a deal with the Albanese government to bring more disabled people into the workforce, as part of a broader plan to create job opportunities for 250,000 Australians.<\/span><\/p>\n

Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said tackling the high unemployment rate among disabled people will be a priority for Labor this year, with just over half in work despite huge increases in taxpayer support over the past decade through the \u00adNational Disability Insurance Scheme and other programs.<\/span><\/p>\n

The government has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Business Council of Australia to implement a disability employment pilot scheme, while Ms Rishworth is also flagging an overhaul of the funding criteria for disability service employment providers.<\/span><\/p>\n

She said getting more disabled people into jobs could ease pressure on the disability support pension, which costs taxpayers nearly $20bn a year and is forecast to grow by 5 per cent in real terms over the next four years.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, it will not contribute to the government\u2019s aim of reducing the ballooning NDIS costs, as people remain on the scheme if they are employed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ms Rishworth said she was disappointed with the \u201cstubborn\u201d unemployment rate of the disabled, given \u201csignificant investment\u201d by the federal government into the sector and the high participation rate of the broader workforce.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had a lot of businesses saying they want employees and, at the same time, a lot of people living with disabilities saying they can\u2019t get their foot in the door,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a real mismatch here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

There are 2.1 million Australians of working age with a disability, with 53 per cent in work and 10.3 per cent officially unemployed. This compares to 84 per cent of eligible workers in the broader community being in work and an unemployment rate of 4.6 per cent.<\/span><\/p>\n

The government estimates about 250,000 people with a disability, who are not in the workforce, are \u201cjob-ready\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

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