The below article was published in Issue 64 of The Retailer

More than half of Australian businesses in the retail industry are missing out on an untapped pool of talent by overlooking candidates with disability during the hiring process.

According to research from the Australian Government, while the majority are open to hiring people with disability (78%), only 45% of businesses are currently employing someone with disability, 

Last year ended with a win for Australians with a disability, with AccessAbility Day, an Australian Government initiative introducing 1,400 people with a disability to over 940 businesses.

The campaign ran from 26-30 November in 2018, throughout the week, Australians with disability were introduced to employers who had the opportunity to see the skills, talent and ability that can be brought into the workplace. The high volumes of participants turned the event into a great success, giving prospective employees a chance to experience a role that aligns with their career interests.

AccessAbility Day stems from the nationwide campaign, Employ their ability by Job Access with the purpose to raise awareness of disability employment. The campaign had some amazing faces, and showcased retailers that have extended career opportunities to people with disability, for example The Harris Farm Markets in Sydney aim to have at least one person with disability in each of their stores.