Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) has released a report on employers’ experiences of First Nations job applicants and the kinds of strategies and programs employers typically used to assist successful First Nations applicants into the workplace. The findings are from the Recruitment Experiences and Outlook Survey which found that First Nations applicants have a 70% success rate when applying for jobs and 93% of businesses who hired a First Nations applicant said the person had adjusted well in the workplace.
52% of businesses used strategies to assist First Nations applicants to transition into the job, with a buddy or mentoring system being most common. However, employers rarely adopted strategies such as Reconciliation Action Plans (RAPs) or cultural competency training for staff. Large businesses were more likely to adopt transition strategies (68%) than medium sized and small businesses (50% and 49%, respectively).
Ten per cent of businesses accessed programs and subsidies when employing a First Nations applicant. The 93% success rate of job transitions cited by businesses suggests the lack of uptake of programs or subsidies is not having an impact on the successful transition of job applicants. Medium to small businesses were more likely to access a program and/or subsidy (12% and 11%, respectively) than large businesses (5%).
Even though the transitions of applicants into small business’ workplaces are good (92%), First Nations applicants are less likely to be successful in getting a job in small businesses (61% of applicants) compared to medium to large businesses (82% and 73% respectively).
JSA also released a First Nations Workforce Analysis which found that while gaps still exist for the community in employment and education, particularly in remote areas, a number of positive trends are emerging. In the 5 years to 2022, the number of First Nations People working as Contract, Program and Project Administrators increased by 42% nationally. Other occupations which saw strong First Nations growth included Welfare Support Workers (33%), Aged and Disabled Carers (31%) and Child Carers (22%).
The report also drills down into patterns of employment growth by age and region. In metropolitan areas there was strong First Nations growth among Plumbers (25%); whereas in regional and remote areas, the number of First Nations people working as Drillers, Miners and Shot Firers increased by 32%.
The report also finds that many First Nations people are employed in community service occupations which are projected to see high growth over the next 5 years, such as Aged and Disabled Carers, Welfare Support Workers and Education Aides.
