National Disability Employment Services provider, atWork Australia, is urging employers to ensure people with disability, injury or health condition who are looking for work are considered for essential roles.

“The Australian employment landscape has been transformed, almost overnight, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” atWork Australia executive general manager, Sotir Kondov, said.

“We can help businesses in finding the best person for the role quickly due to our extensive screening of candidates, experience at matching the right person to the role, and on-the-job support once our client starts working.

“At a time when so many are suffering the consequences of overwhelming job losses, we also hope to champion Australians with disability and help them gain equal access to the jobs that are available.”

Disability Employment Services, an Australian Government initiative delivered by atWork Australia, offers businesses bespoke support based on their needs, to connect them with candidates and help with interviewing, hiring and onboarding processes. This can include tailoring CVs to align to the job role and screening candidates based on skills, abilities and organisational fit. Once in place, the provider continues to monitor the placement and offers assistance to both employer and employee over the first year and beyond if required.

Current industries that atWork Australia has identified as needing assistance with massive recruitment needs include grocery retail, transport and logistics, administration and support services, health care, aged care and disability care, and some manufacturing sectors.

“Our aim is to help businesses find the right candidate and keep them. We offer specialised candidate screening and job matching services to make sure we create a fit that works for the employee and employer. We also offer access to a long-term WorkAssist program to help employers retain staff living with disability should their condition change, or for staff who acquire a disability, and inhibit them from completing their expected tasks,” Kondov said.

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