WA falls short on disability workplace inclusion

Western Australia's public sector is well off track in meeting its workforce diversity target for people with disabilities, with the needle having barely moved in the past six years.

About 1.6 per cent of public sector staff identify as a person with a disability, according to the latest data, 0.1 per cent higher than 2020 when an “aspirational” target of 5 per cent by 2025 was set.

But that figure does not represent the true size of the disabled workforce in the public sector, Disability Services Minister Don Punch said, with many likely choosing to keep their conditions private.

“There are people who will disclose that they have a disability, and there are people who prefer not to disclose that they have a disability,” he said.

“So there is a whole range of people with different abilities who are employed in the public sector.

“There is always more work to be done and I encourage the public sector employers, as well as private sector employers, to consider the rich talent pool that exists within the disability community.”

About 2,024 public sector staff identified as a person with a disability, according to the September 2023 workforce report, a 339-person increase since December 2020.

A separate Public Sector Commission census in 2023, which captured about 30 per cent of the public service, showed 1.8 per cent of respondents identified as having a disability.

The state government in 2020 set out a plan under former disability services minister Stephen Dawson to boost disability representation in the public sector to 5 per cent by 2025.

That target was set after the number of disabled people on the government’s payroll fell to 1.5 per cent in 2020, about 1 per cent below where it was six years prior.

Australian Bureau of Statistics data used in that report suggested about 5.5 per cent of working age people in WA were living with a moderate or mild disability.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA last week unveiled a report that found about one quarter of people with a reported disability in the state were employed.

CCIWA chief executive Chris Rodwell on Tuesday morning urged a room full of business leaders to do better in giving people with disabilities opportunities in the workplace.

“We have myths and misconceptions about what value they can add,” he said.

“Did you know people with disabilities take fewer days of sick leave than the rest of the workforce?

“I highly recommend you reach out and have a look at that report and think about what you can do in your business about supporting people with disabilities.

“It is an area that we have not done enough.”

The CCIWA report found 60 per cent of surveyed businesses employed someone with a known disability, the lowest among the five under-represented groups: disabled, women, Indigenous and multicultural, and LGBTQIA+.

About the same amount admitted to making limited progress on attracting and retaining people with disabilities.

Key reasons given included a lack of applicants, inability to adjust workplaces, and lack of career opportunities.