The right to work "on an equal basis with others": examining disability employment policies in Australia through the lens of a health and economic crisis

The persistent disadvantage Australians with disability face in the labour market is troubling from both an economic and a human rights standpoint, and it has significant public and private costs. This chapter explores Australia’s efforts to boost employment for people with disability in the years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic and in its early stages, and new health and economic challenges faced by jobseekers with disability, with a view to addressing what lies ahead. It examines trends in disability employment; shifts in related policy over time; the actors involved; the focus on employment in the economic case for reform of disability services; governance challenges in ensuring people with disability can find and sustain meaningful employment in the current environment; and opportunities to reframe how we examine and address this issue in the emerging labour market. Concerted policy effort is needed to ensure people with disability are not excluded from the post-pandemic labour force.