Jobseekers from diverse backgrounds often face barriers in finding work. For example, the unemployment rate for Australians with a disability is 31 per cent higher than the average population.1
A common barrier to building diversity in any workforce is bias. This means making judgements and assessments based on our:
- beliefs
- experiences
- cultural surroundings.
For example, studies show that people who speak English as their first language, or who have Anglo-Celtic names, are more likely to get an interview.1, 2
Diverse workplaces:
- provide more accessible, inclusive and fair services
- are more efficient, more creative and better at problem solving
- are more resilient in economic and financial downturns1, 3
- reflect the make-up of the Victorian population
- offer clients choices about who they access services from in an organisation
- provide an approach to staffing that resonates with diverse communities
- show a commitment to building relationships and partnerships with marginalised people, groups and communities.
References
1. Department of Premier and Cabinet and Centre for Ethical Leadership, University of Melbourne, Recruit smarter: report of findings(opens in a new window), Victorian Government website, 2018, p. 3, accessed 13 January 2023.
2. M Adamovic and A Leibbrandt, ‘Is there a class ceiling for ethnic minorities to enter leadership positions? Evidence from a field experiment with over 12,000 job applications, The Leadership Quarterly, 2023, 43(2): doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2022.101655(opens in a new window); Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT), 2022 Graduate Outcomes Survey(opens in a new window), QILT website, 2023, accessed 2 October 2023.
3. Deloitte and Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, Waiter, is that inclusion in my (opens in a new window), Deloitte, 2013, accessed 25 January 2023.
Updated