Closing the First Nations employment gap will take 100 years

That required, by 2018, lifting the employment rate for First Nations Australians from 48% to 60%, with the rate for other Australians being 72%.

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The ConversationThe Conversation
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https://theconversation.com/closing-the-first-nations-employment-gap-will-take-100-years-205290https://theconversation.com/closing-the-first-nations-employment-gap-will-take-100-years-205290
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Thursday, June 1, 2023
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Unemployment, Employment, Failure, Education, Solution, Statistics, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Gap, Government, Cities and metropolitan areas of the United States, Community, Indigenous Australians, First Nations, City, Program, Ageing, Commonwealth, Health insurance, Nursing, Cassette tape
Summary
Key Points: 
  • That required, by 2018, lifting the employment rate for First Nations Australians from 48% to 60%, with the rate for other Australians being 72%.
  • At the 2021 census the employment rate for First Nations Australians was 51%, while the rate for other Australians was 74%.
  • Assuming the employment rate for other Australians does not change, the rate of incremental gains in First Nations employment since 2008 suggests that closing the employment gap is going to take 100 years.

What these statistics show

    • The Closing the Gap methodology measures employment as a percentage of all people aged 15 to 64.
    • We’ve adopted the approach used by the Australian Bureau of Statistics for its unemployment data.
    • We’re using Australian Bureau of Statistics data, so we’ve stuck with the bureau’s approach.

Educational attainment matters

    • Almost half of the First Nations Australians (49%) do not have a qualification beyond secondary education, compared with 31% of other Australians.
    • These differences in educational attainment are reflected in employment outcomes.
    • For every level of educational attainment less than a diploma, First Nations unemployment rate is at least double that of other Australians.

Location counts

    • But one clear factor is geographic location.
    • Why do the unemployment rates for other Australians show the opposite trend, with lower rates the more remote?
    • Read more:
      Albanese government announces $424 million to narrow a gap that is not closing fast enough

Employment by occupation


    The unemployment-related factors lead to differences in the occupational profile of First Nations Australians. They are more likely than other Australians to be employed in community and personal services or manual labour, and significantly less likely to be in a professional or managerial role.

Different approaches needed

    • These statistics show that, with the exception of those achieving postgraduate qualifications, First Nations Australians face multiple disadvantages in employment.
    • Listening to those closest to the problem, and giving First Nations Australians a greater say in designing and implementing solutions would be a good start.
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