With job ads increasing every month since April 2020 and now exceeding pre-COVID levels, it appears businesses are rebuilding.
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This opens a unique opportunity to reinstate stronger work forces, including employees with disability.
Australians living with disability are often overlooked in recruitment, with a 48 per cent employment rate compared to 80 per cent of those not living with disability.
This is a missed opportunity, as these workers have proven to be beneficial to businesses' productivity, staff turnover and bottom line.
Hiring a person with disability should be seen as a chance to strengthen teams, as it's well documented they generate less turnover and have superior attendance.
These benefits are echoed in a 2018 study which showed businesses prioritising inclusion of people living with disability achieved an average of 28 per cent higher revenue, 30 per cent higher profit margins and double the net income.
They also see retention go up 90 per cent, allowing them to focus on their business - not "revolving door" recruitment.
The talent pool of those living with disability, injury or health conditions grew significantly in 2020.
While many industries suffered during COVID-19, jobs that are suited to many with disability - such as warehousing, factory work and delivery services - rose.
In 2021, we look forward to placing people with disabilities into all industries, ranging from agriculture to accounting and social media to the sciences.
It's important businesses are aware of the support out there when hiring someone with disability.
Our research with more than 450 small, medium and large businesses found companies primarily use recruitment agencies to find the right candidate (70 per cent), save time on recruitment (56 per cent) and to access job-ready candidates, which atWork Australia offers free of charge.
Support that doesn't cost businesses money will become important in March, as JobKeeper payments cease.
Organisations we speak to are struggling with employee wellbeing as well as recruiting and retaining staff.
As JobKeeper ends, employment insecurity and fear of redundancies is set to increase mental health conditions - one of the leading forms of invisible disability.
This will make workplace experts who understand disability an essential form of support.
Businesses have the opportunity to help shape a society and a national workforce that is inclusive for all people living with disability, injury or a health condition, while taking on employees that are proven to benefit their businesses.
Steve Carder is general manager DES of atWork Australia.
