Employment outcomes for NDIS participants
The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) released the first round of NDIS Data in July 2019, which compiles close to 60,000 responses from participants, families and carers. Information has been added to the NDIS website in a new Data and Insights section, which includes research, analysis, reports and NDIA commentary, plus data cubes and downloadable files.
Below is a brief outline of the Employment Outcomes of NDIS Participants
Labour force participation rate
- 53.4% Australians with disability
- 83.2% Australians without disability
Unemployment rate
- 10% Australians with disability
- 5.3% Australians without disability
Employment experience of NDIS participants
- 17% of transition participants aged 15 to 24 years said they were working in a paid job at entry to the NDIS
- 25% of transition participants aged 25 and over said they were working in a paid job at entry to the NDIS
- Overall, 23% of transition participants said they were working in a paid job at entry to the NDIS
Percentage with a paid job at baseline, by disability (15 – 24 year olds)
Participants with neurological disabilities or psychosocial disabilities have the poorest baseline employment levels at 12%-15%.
- 52% Multiple Sclerosis
- 42% Hearing Impairment
- 25% Visual Impairment
- 23% Other Sensory/speech
- 20% Other Physical
- 19% Spinal Cord Injury
- 19% Down Syndrome
- 19% Intellectual Disability
- 15% Autism
- 15% ABI
- 14% Stroke
- 14% Other Neurological
- 14% Psychosocial disability
- 12% Cerebral Palsy
- 6% Other disability
Percentage with a paid job at baseline, by disability (25 years old and over)
Participants with neurological disabilities or psychosocial disabilities have poorer baseline
employment levels at 12%-21%. The low percentage employed for stroke (5%) is partly due to age.
- 60% Hearing Impairment
- 42% Other Sensory/speech
- 34% Down Syndrome
- 33% Intellectual Disability
- 31% Visual Impairment
- 28% Autism
- 28% Spinal Cord Injury
- 26% Other Physical
- 22% Multiple Sclerosis
- 21% Cerebral Palsy
- 16% Other disability
- 15%Psychosocial disability
- 13% ABI
- 12% Other Neurological
- 5% Stroke
Types of employment
49% of older adults are working in an ADE, compared to 35% of younger adults.
15 – 24 year olds
- 41% Open employment, full award wages
- 35% Australian Disability Enterprise (ADEs)
- 14% Open employment, less than full award wages
- 7% Other
- 2% Australian Apprenticeship
- 1% Self-employed
25 years and over
- 49% Australian Disability Enterprise (ADEs)
- 33% Open employment, full award wages
- 10% Open employment, less than full award wages
- 5% Self-employed
- 3% Other
Percentage of NDIS participants receiving the Disability Support Pension (DSP) by age.
Overall, 77% of NDIS participants received the DSP. The percentage was lower for the youngest age group (64% – many of these are not yet in the workforce) and oldest age group (57% – reflecting the DSP cut-off at retirement age).
The percentage is highest for the 25 to 34 age group (88%).
- 64% of 16 – 24 years old
- 88% of 25 – 34 years old
- 83% of 35 – 44 years old
- 81% of 45 – 54 years old
- 81% of 55 – 59 years old
- 79% of 60 – 64 years old
- 57% of 65 – 69 years old
Percentage of NDIS participants receiving the Disability Support Pension (DSP) by disability
Participants with an intellectual disability (including Down syndrome) are the most likely to
receive the DSP (88%).
Participants with hearing impairment are the least likely to receive the DSP (31%), reflecting their high employment levels relative to participants with other disabilities.
- 88% Intellectual Disability
- 83% Cerebral Palsy
- 83% Psychosocial disability
- 83% Visual Impairment
- 78% ABI
- 71% Other Neurological
- 70% Other disability
- 70% Stroke
- 67% Autism
- 62% Other Physical
- 62% Developmental Delay
- 60% Spinal Cord Injury
- 57% Global Developmental Delay
- 57% Multiple Sclerosis
- 43% Other Sensory/speech
- 31% Hearing Impairment
The above statistics are sourced from the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA). For more statistics on NDIS participants, please visit: https://www.ndis.gov.au/about-us/data-and-insights