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The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) has released the first round of NDIS Data 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. Information on the NDIS website will be a living resource with new data added regularly.

Below is a brief outline of the Employment Outcomes of NDIS Participants

Employment outcomes for 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 to 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 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 DSP as at July 2018 - 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 DSP as at July 2018 - 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