JSA's Latest Reports Shine a Light on the Ups and Downs of First Nation Employment and Education

Guess what? Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) has just spilled the beans on what's happening in the world of First Nations employment and education! Their two new reports, the "First Nations Workforce Analysis" and "Findings from Employers’ Experiences of First Nations Job Applicants," spill the tea on all the good stuff and the areas where we need to give some extra love and support.

Let's Talk about the Good Stuff in First Nations Employment and Education

Even though there are still gaps in jobs and education, especially in far-off places, the First Nations Workforce Analysis report has some exciting news. From 2017 to 2022, there's been a whopping 42% increase in First Nations people working as Contract, Program, and Project Administrators all over the country. And that's not all – jobs like Welfare Support Workers (up by 33%), Aged and Disabled Carers (up by 31%), and Child Carers (up by 22%) are also on the rise among First Nations folks.

The report also points out that the Public Administration industry is the big boss, with a cool 27% increase in First Nations employment between February 2020 and May 2022. This, combined with fewer people relying on hospitality jobs, helped First Nations employment bounce back faster than non-Indigenous jobs during the tough times of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Taking a closer look at job growth in different age groups and places, the report spills the beans on First Nations growth in jobs like Plumbing (up by 25%) in cities. On the flip side, in regional and faraway spots, there's been an impressive 32% increase in the number of First Nations people working as Drillers, Miners, and Shot Firers.

And get this – the report predicts that lots of First Nations folks will snag jobs in community service gigs that are expected to boom in the next five years. Jobs like Aged and Disabled Carers, Welfare Support Workers, and Education Aides are on the rise, opening up awesome opportunities for careers.

But here's the scoop: even though the report admits that the number of First Nations people with fancy degrees is still a bit lower, especially in far-off places, there's some good news. First Nations people with qualifications that used RTO resoruces, in high-demand fields have a better chance of landing jobs that match their studies. Like, 71% of First Nations folks with education degrees landed jobs that actually used their skills.

What Employers Really Think: First Nations Job Hunt Stories

In the same groove as the First Nations Workforce Analysis, JSA did a big survey – like, around 1,000 employers spilled the beans every month. The survey got all the details on what it's like for employers dealing with First Nations job applicants and the tricks and programs that help them fit right into the workplace.

The scoop from the survey? First Nations job applicants have a 70% success rate. And get this – 93% of businesses that hired a First Nations applicant said everything went super smoothly, and the new folks were rocking it at work.

Even though 52% of businesses tried out transition strategies, like buddy systems or mentoring programs, not many went all out with big plans like Reconciliation Action Plans (RAPs) or cultural training for their crew. Kinda interesting, right? The big bosses were more into the transition plans (68%), while the medium and small businesses were a bit slower to jump on board (50% and 49%, if you're curious).

And get this – only 10% of businesses used programs and perks that were made just for hiring First Nations folks. But here's the twist – even with only a few businesses using these programs, the survey says 93% of the job transitions were a big success. It seems like even if there aren't many programs, First Nations folks are still rocking it when they get the job. And guess what? Medium to small businesses were kinda into these programs (12% and 11%, to be exact), even more than the big shots (5%).

Here's the real deal – even though things went pretty smoothly for First Nations job applicants entering small businesses (92% success rate), they had a bit of a tougher time landing jobs in small businesses (only 61% got in) compared to medium and large businesses (82% and 73%, if you're keeping score).

So, these reports spill all the tea on what's happening with First Nations employment and education in Australia. Sure, there are challenges, but the good vibes and employer stories show there's lots of room to make things even better for First Nations folks in the workforce. Cheers to that!