Reasons for the lower employment rates include lower levels of education, training and skill levels (human capital), poorer health, living in areas with fewer labour market opportunities, higher levels of arrest and interactions with the criminal justice system, discrimination, and lower levels of job retention .
"Most Indigenous people are disadvantaged in the employment and labour market because of workplace racism," Professor Young said. "There is a lot of overt racism, that kind of, 'you only got this job because you're Indigenous' type stuff, or 'you don't look Indigenous'.
In addition to poor health outcomes, lower levels of education and training, higher levels of contact with the criminal justice system, experiences of discrimination and lower levels of job retention may contribute to lower employment rates for Indigenous Australians (Gray et al.
The unemployment rate of Indigenous Australians was 18.4%—almost three times higher than the rate for non-Indigenous Australians at 6.8% in 2016. The unemployment rate of Indigenous Australians was 18.4%, almost three times higher than the rate for non- Indigenous Australians in 2016.
High unemployment and lasting impacts from colonialism have caused low income in Aboriginal homes. Today, people often find that Aboriginal communities in non-rural areas live off welfare in crowded housing.
Reasons for the lower employment rates include lower levels of education, training and skill levels (human capital), poorer health, living in areas with fewer labour market opportunities, higher levels of arrest and interactions with the criminal justice system, discrimination, and lower levels of job retention .
For example, according to the 2008 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, the average disposable weekly income of Indigenous males was 63 per cent that of non-Indigenous males and, for Indigenous females, it was 79 per cent that of non-Indigenous females (Biddle 2013).
At the end of the June quarter of 2016, around 45% of Indigenous Australians aged 15 and over (220,800 people) were receiving some form of Centrelink income support payment, compared with 26% of non-Indigenous Australians of this age (4.9 million people).
Indigenous Australians, immigrants and refugees, the LGBTIQ+ community, people with disabilities, youth, the elderly, single parents and former prisoners all face a significantly higher incidence of prejudice or discrimination and a greater chance of being denied employment opportunities.
13.68 For young Indigenous adults (aged 20 to 24 years), close to 70 per cent are not fully engaged with work or education compared to 30 per cent of the non-Indigenous workforce. This means that young Indigenous adults are three times as likely to be unemployed or not in the labour force.
The legacy of colonisation, including the displacement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from their ancestral lands, has exacerbated issues associated with inadequate housing and homelessness.
Between 2014–15 and 2018–19, after adjusting for inflation, the median gross weekly personal income for Indigenous Australians aged 18 and over fell by 5.6%, from $518 to $489 (Figure 1).
Overview of Indigenous employment
Comparing the most recent data for people aged 15–64 with earlier surveys: between 2007–08 and 2018–19, the overall employment rate for Indigenous Australians dropped from 54% to 49%, while the rate for non-Indigenous Australians remained stable at roughly 76% (Figure 1)
Health. Poverty within Indigenous Australian groups is also a significant contributor to the increased health hazards Indigenous Australians face. Many illnesses threaten the lives of indigenous Australians at much higher rates than non-Indigenous Australians.
Indigenous businesses are over 100 times more likely to hire Indigenous workers than non-Indigenous businesses¹. Many also make significant contributions to the community, such as the provision of pro-bono advice and support, or sponsorship of local sports teams and cultural events² (Exhibit A).
The highest unemployment figure in Australia belongs to the indigenous community of Palm Island off the coast of Cairns, with unemployment at 49.8 per cent.
South Australia has recorded the highest unemployment rate of any state or territory in Australia.
Australia's unemployment rate fell in October as the labour market added more jobs and workers clocked up more hours, underscoring the resilience of the economy amid a record series of interest rate rises unleashed by the Reserve Bank.
The New South Wales Stolen Generations Reparations Scheme provides ex-gratia payments of $75,000 to living Stolen Generations survivors who were removed from their families and committed to the care of the New South Wales Aborigines Protection or Welfare Boards.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and Indigenous holding entities don't need to pay income tax or capital gains tax on native title payments or benefits.
On a per person basis, government welfare expenditure was $13,968 per Indigenous Australian, compared with $6,019 per non-Indigenous Australian in 2012–13—this equates to expenditure of $2.32 per Indigenous person for every $1.00 spent per non-Indigenous person.
But Aboriginal people are subject to the same social security laws and entitled to no more (and no less) government sponsorship than any other Australian. There has never been a government program that distributed free houses or cars, and Aboriginal students have to pay for university like everyone else.
In terms of the “free payment” – Indigenous Australians generally have access to the same or similar services and support for studying as other Australians. They do not receive “free payments” because they are Indigenous nor are they exempt from doing the work.