Let's Level Up: Unlock the power of inclusivity and discover the potential of the disabled workforce
- Emma Godwin
The implications of the underutilisation of disabled people in the workforce have been long known, and disabled people have long called for equitable access to meaningful employment. The Office of the Ombudsman documented that “there would be a fiscal benefit of $1.45 billion per year if the participation of disabled people in the labour market was equalised.” At the same time, the coalition government has clearly signalled that resources will be invested into initiatives prioritising employment for all. Despite this, there have been few sustained improvements for disabled people’s employment. For example, in 2013, 45 percent of all disabled adults were employed, compared with 72 percent of all non-disabled adults; 5 a decade later, in 2023, 44.1 percent of disabled people were employed, compared with 84.7 percent of non-disabled people.
In commencing this research, we saw an enthusiasm and desire by employers to engage in understanding disabled communities, but the full power of this is yet to be leveraged. For example, international research analysed 45 companies classified as ‘Disability Inclusion Champions’. Compared to others, they achieved, on average, 28 percent higher revenue, double the net income and 30 percent higher economic profit margins over the four-year period they analysed. The potential of disability inclusion for industry, properly executed, is immense. Participants to the research indicated interest in understanding what this might look like, although, like most New Zealand employers, they were impacted by implicit prejudices.
In light of the longstanding need for forward momentum, we have asked ourselves the following question throughout the research process: what is required to achieve meaningful inclusion of disabled communities in the workforce? A missing aspect of employment-related evidence to this point has been industry-specific insights from Aotearoa New Zealand. A sharper focus on specific areas of relevance and concern to construction, engineering, infrastructure, logistics and manufacturing will support these critical industries to make a meaningful and sustainable shift toward the responsive and equitable employment of disabled people.