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WALK IN MY SHOES – SURVEY OF INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS

It’s not often we have an opportunity to ask Indigenous job seekers and their employers across Australia, “what’s actually working?” or “can you share the your experiences?”. That’s why GenerationOne commissioned the social research firm, Auspoll, to research the experiences of Indigenous people looking for work or already employed and a number of employers.

Indigenous people across the country are consistently telling us they are sick of training for training’s sake. Walk in My Shoes reveals Indigenous job seekers are frustrated and feel stuck in a training cycle that makes no link to a job or career.

"We commissioned this research because we wanted to share the first hand experiences of Indigenous people in the employment cycle, and highlight the experience of employers,” Tania Major GenerationOne spokesperson said.
Despite the many barriers to employment Indigenous job seekers face, the report shows the value they place on employment is high. “[A job means] independence, and also self-esteem and stability. And I look at it like, I’d get an ego boost because I could show my kids this is what I can do … doesn’t matter whether you’re black or not, I can get out and do it,” said one unemployed person from Sydney.

Walk in My Shoes reports on the views of employers when it comes to the process of recruitment, running Indigenous employment programs that work, and the retention of Indigenous workers. Employers have consistently reported that the main barrier to marginalised Indigenous people entering the work force is not their skill level or their experience: it’s their level of work readiness.

One hospitality employer explained, “the philosophy that we have taken is that Aboriginal employment for a very long time has failed...It’s not just a business issue; it’s more of a community issue, in terms of understanding Aboriginal culture, their people, the employment history within their communities. You are going to come up against people within your own business who don’t understand and think of this as reverse racism [special treatment]... That is one particular area that we continue to work on.”

This report provides insights for governments, employers and individuals so they can better respond, and place greater importance on the successful methods outlined in the report to support job seekers through their employment journey towards guaranteed jobs.