Jul 28, 2026 · 31 min · 14 segments
Paid work can be a pathway to independence, purpose, and connection — but Australians with disability are far less likely to be employed than everyone else, especially those with high support needs…
Owen EmsleyGuest
Ben JeffersonHost
And yeah, there are a few sort of definitional points to get across in this space.
And it occurs most commonly in disabled-only workplaces that are called Australian Disability Enterprises or ADEs.
So about 80% of supported employees are in ADEs, but people can also access those same employment supports in open employment, which is employment where disabled and non-disabled people work side by side, just mainstream employment like you'd be familiar with.
So about 20% of people in supported employment are accessing those supports in open employment.
People with Down syndrome and intellectual disability are the most likely to be in supported employment if they're working, and there's also a significant cohort with psychosocial disability or autism.
So the report also considers people with high support needs who aren't currently working, and that's part of the cohort that we're looking for ways to improve their employment outcomes as well.
And yeah, there are a few sort of definitional points to get across in this space.
And it occurs most commonly in disabled-only workplaces that are called Australian Disability Enterprises or ADEs.
So about 80% of supported employees are in ADEs, but people can also access those same employment supports in open employment, which is employment where disabled and non-disabled people work side by side, just mainstream employment like you'd be familiar with.
So about 20% of people in supported employment are accessing those supports in open employment.
People with Down syndrome and intellectual disability are the most likely to be in supported employment if they're working, and there's also a significant cohort with psychosocial disability or autism.
So the report also considers people with high support needs who aren't currently working, and that's part of the cohort that we're looking for ways to improve their employment outcomes as well.
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