Finding people with the right skills for your business can be difficult. Have you considered taking on people facing barriers to employment? The government offers a range of funding and incentive schemes for businesses that support people with a disability, Indigenous Australians, the long term unemployed and the mature-aged. For further information on available incentives and support services see the tables below. General incentivesIn the table below you will find a list of general incentives and support services available to employers hiring people facing barriers to employment.
| Name | Description | Administering agency |
|---|
| Employer Demand Demonstration Projects | Grant funding for businesses that develop innovative ways of recruiting, employing and retaining employees that are parents, mature aged, the very long term unemployed and people with a disability. | Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) | | Employer Support Payment (ESP) Scheme | The ESP Scheme provides financial assistance to eligible employers to help offset the costs of releasing employees for most categories of Australian Defence Force service. | Department of Defence | | Work Experience Placement programme (WEP) | The WEP programme covers the personal accident and general liability insurance costs of businesses with job vacancies who offer work experience to disadvantaged job seekers. | Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) |
Hiring people with a disabilityIn the table below you will find a list of incentives and support services available to employers hiring people with a disability.
| Name | Description | Administering agency |
|---|
| Auslan for Employment Programme | Provides education and training to support new deaf employees, and existing deaf employees who use Auslan. | Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) | | Disabled Australian Apprentice Wage Support | Provides ongoing support and assistance for employers who currently employ an apprentice with a disability and has been assessed as a person requiring assistance. | Australian Apprenticeships | | JobAccess | JobAccess provides employers with information on employing people with a disability, including hiring, incentives, training and work strategies. | Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) | | Supported Wage System (SWS) | SWS is a process that allows eligible employers to pay less than the minimum wage by matching a person's productivity with a fair wage. | Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) | | Wage Subsidy Scheme | The Wage Subsidy Scheme offers financial assistance to employers of a person with a disability or someone who may be experiencing other barriers to employment. It helps pay wages in the first few months of employment. | Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) | | Workplace Modifications Scheme (WMS) | The WMS provides financial support for costs involved in modifying the workplace or purchasing special or adaptive equipment for eligible and existing employees with a disability. | Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) |
Hiring Indigenous AustraliansIn the table below you will find a list of incentives and support services available to employers hiring Indigenous Australians.
| Name | Description | Administering agency |
|---|
| Corporate Leaders for Indigenous Employment Project (CLIEP) | CLIEP offers flexible packages of funding to companies to develop Indigenous employment strategies and practices. | Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) | | Indigenous Portal | The Indigenous portal website lists a number of Australian Government programs and services available to help Indigenous Australians and their employers. | Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) | | National Indigenous Cadetship Project (NICP) | NICP provides grants to businesses that provide work experience, professional guidance or ongoing employment to full-time Indigenous tertiary students. The grant is to help employers to support cadets with a living allowance and study-related costs and offset employer adminstration costs. | Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) | | Structured Training and Employment Projects (STEP) | STEP provides funding and support to private sector businesses that provide ongoing employment to Indigenous Australians. | Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) | | Wage Assistance | Wage Assistance is a payment given to Australian employers as an incentive to employ Indigenous Australians on an on-going basis. Wage Assistance offers salary subsidies for full-time and part-time work. | Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) |
Hiring the long term unemployedIn the table below you will find a list of incentives and support services available to employers hiring the long term unemployed.
| Name | Description | Administering agency |
|---|
| NeedStaff | NeedStaff provides information on initiatives and incentives available to employers providing people on income support with job opportunities. | Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) | | Wage Assist | Wage Assist is a wage subsidy program available to employers who provide on-going, full-time (or employment that is sufficient to take the job seeker off benefits) work opportunities for Very Long Term Unemployed (VLTU) job seekers. | Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) |
Hiring mature aged workersIn the table below you will find a list of incentives and support services available to employers hiring mature aged workers.
| Name | Description | Administering agency |
|---|
| JobWise | JobWise provides information and employer support regarding potential mature age employees. | Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) | | Mature Age Employment and Workplace Strategy (MAEWS) | MAEWS provides information and services for employers of mature aged workers. | Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) | | Mature Aged Worker Incentive | Provides businesses with incentives for employing and training mature aged apprentices. | Australian Apprenticeships |
This information is brought to you by business.gov.au and Gippsland ACC
business.gov.au - Your business gateway to government information and services

| Copyright © Gippsland Area Consultative Committee Inc. 2007 - All Rights Reserved |
|