Getting A Job

Bronwyn Fredericks

doi:10.5204/ijcis.v2i1.34

Getting A Job

Bronwyn Fredericks

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https://doi.org/10.5204/ijcis.v2i1.34

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Indigenous participation in employment has long been seen as an indicator of Indigenous economic participation in Australia. Researchers have linked participation in employment to improved health outcomes, increased education levels and greater self-esteem. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of Indigenous workforce policies and employment strategies as employers and industries attempt to employ more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Coupled with this has been a push to employ more Indigenous people in specific sectors to address the multiple layers of disadvantage experienced by Indigenous people, for example, the health sector. This paper draws on interview discussions with Aboriginal women in Rockhampton, Central Queensland, along with findings from the research of others to offer a greater understanding of the mixed benefits of increased Indigenous employment. What is demonstrated is that the nature of Indigenous employment is complex and not as simple as ‘just getting a job’.

Highlights

In Australia, employment has long been seen as an important indicator of individual economic participation and as a means of improving one’s life circumstances
Aboriginal health will not improve just by having more Aboriginal people employed within the health sector
The historical processes and impacts of colonisation and the racialised societal structures that impact on the daily lives of Aboriginal people and Aboriginal communities need to be addressed (Mowbray 2007; Walter 2009)

Summary

Introduction

In Australia, employment has long been seen as an important indicator of individual economic participation and as a means of improving one’s life circumstances. It was later identified through policies implemented by governments and institutions such as Affirmative Action and Equal Employment and Opportunity that there was a need to increase the numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in these workplaces and the overall health workforce.

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