Embracing a diverse workforce is the pathway forward

Australia is one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse countries in the world. So why doesn’t our workforce reflect that?

Navigating the job market in itself can be a difficult process for a number of applicants. Oftentimes, this process can be even more strenuous for those who come from diverse backgrounds or experiences, whether that’s being born in a country outside of Australia or living with a disability or long-term health condition.

Australia’s population is very culturally diverse. The statistics show that in 2021, three in 10 people who resided in Australia were born overseas, and one in four spoke a language other than English at their home. However, these different cultural factors can sometimes impact participation in the workforce, with the proportion of Australians who hail from culturally diverse backgrounds being on unemployment payments, rising from 11 per cent in 2020 to 14 per cent in 2021.

One of the barriers that contribute to this is the discrimination and bias that is still occurring in the employment process. Recent research from Pro Bono Australia revealed that 88 per cent of surveyed respondents believe racism to be an issue at work, with more than 90 per cent suggesting organisations need to take better action to address it.

Less than a third of those surveyed also added that their company is proactively preventing racial discrimination in the workplace.

The discussions on workplace diversity and inclusion are happening, but they need to be actively put into practice. Diversity helps broaden the focus of a workplace to introduce innovative ideas and practices to a company and can often counteract harmful stereotypes and underlying racism within the workplace.

According to Indeed, here are a few of the benefits of a diverse workplace:

• Creativity: A diverse team of employees can bring new ideas to your company.
• Culture: Increasing the diversity of a workplace can help improve the overall culture by making your company a more desirable place to work.
• Company reputation: Hiring and retaining a diverse team of employees can increase the quality of a company’s reputation by showing that the company is inclusive and welcoming.
• Overcoming challenges: A diverse team is better able to solve problems with different perspectives.

Ensuring that discrimination and bias aren’t creeping into your job recruitment is crucial to creating a more diverse workplace. This is a distinct way for businesses to show that they are actively committed to increasing their diversity and boosting their inclusion. This can be implemented by policies and procedures that make the position more fluid and open, excluding any preconceived notions or biases.

Adopting these procedures and benefits will allow businesses to push towards having a workforce that directly reflects the culturally and linguistically diverse society that Australia has.