National Employment Services Association 2025 National Conference Melbourne

Good morning.

Thank you for inviting me here today to speak at the National Employment Services Associations national conference.

Before I begin, I would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land we are meeting on today and pay my respect to their Elders past and present.

I would like to acknowledge NESA CEO Kathryn Mandla, and NESA board members Rebecca Nicholls and Mark Hoffman-Davis and of course all the representatives from employment service providers who are here today.

I’m genuinely excited to be with you today as the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations.

The reason I’m excited is my political career has always been motivated by the belief that every Australian deserves a ‘fair go’ – breaking down barriers so that everyone has the opportunity to fully participate in society and reach their potential, no matter their postcode.

And at the heart of that belief is the dignity of meaningful work.

Work is more than just a job - it’s about economic independence and survival, it’s about raising families, it’s about social connection and psychological wellbeing.

It’s part of who we are – it shapes our identity.

For the Albanese Labor Government, ensuring every Australian has the right to secure meaningful employment is a core value – where nobody is held back and nobody is left behind

When it comes to work, we are living in a time of unprecedented change.

Our nation is in the middle of a significant economic shift, driven by advances in technology, the transition to a net zero economy and the rise of the care economy.

Our economy is an engine of employment opportunity, where new jobs are being created every day in sectors like the care economy, renewable energy, IT, advanced manufacturing and construction.

Total employment in Australia is projected to grow by around 950,000 people or 6.6 per cent over the next five years, with nearly an extra 2 million people in jobs over the next 10 years, reaching 16.3 million employed people by 2034. (JSA Employment Projections 2024)

Since the Albanese Labor Government was elected in May 2022, more than 1.1 million jobs have been created, and we have seen the lowest average unemployment of any government in the last 50 years – currently sitting at a historically low 4.2 per cent.

We are seeing record high levels of women in work, with full-time employment sitting at over 4 million, and 63.5 per cent of women now participating in the labour market.

In addition to this, the participation rate has been at or above 67 per cent 11 times since records began, and all of these have been during the Albanese Labor Government.

During a time of historically low unemployment and high workforce demand, this is a moment of incredible opportunity, holding immense promise.

Right now, those Australians who are keeping pace with these burgeoning opportunities are those who have higher levels of education and skills and are able to adapt to the evolving workforce in this fast-changing world.

But - while the majority of Australians are engaged in employment, there are still too many who are not gaining the economic and social benefits that employment brings.

Whether these individuals have found themselves disconnected from the labour market suddenly and for a brief time or have been disconnected long term, our collective challenge is to ensure that they are reconnected as soon as possible.

And while there are a number of important government levers to do this, the employment services system is critical to ensuring those who are not in the labour market and want to be, get the chance.

Our challenge though, is to make sure our employment services system is flexible enough to ensure that jobseekers can succeed whether they are few skills away from re-entering the labour market, or have complex needs.

And to make sure we have a system that is person-focussed, accessible and one that generates opportunity whether servicing Australians here in the heart of Melbourne, or a remote community in central Australia.

We need to ensure that our employment service system can both break down barriers for individuals and support the significant workforce transitions that are happening now and are on the horizon.

This requires an employment services system that can keep up with the changing workplace demands and ensure that jobseekers are appropriately supported to take up these emerging opportunities.

For some job seekers who are job-ready, skilled and digitally literate, the path to a new job can be a relatively quick one. They may just need some easily accessible, self-directed supports to update their resume and some assistance to connect with available jobs in their local area.

But others may face more complex barriers due to limited education and experience or gaps in foundational skills that don’t meet current workforce needs - or perhaps where illness, mental health or physical conditions, or caring responsibilities, or social disadvantage have created barriers to getting a job.

Jobseekers are not a homogenous group - they can have experienced systemic, intergenerational unemployment or be newly unemployed jobseekers who need to reskill to re-enter the workforce and avoid long-term disengagement. 

An effective employment service system needs to be flexible to be able to provide different types of services and different levels of intensity depending on a jobseeker’s distance from the labour market – it cannot put everyone in the same basket.

We know that young people who are not engaged in education, training or paid employment by the age of 24 are most at risk of experiencing future long-term unemployment.

And - one in three Australians aged under 24 from the lowest socio-economic backgrounds are not in education, employment and training, compared to one in 15 from the highest socio-economic backgrounds. (Australian Institute of Family Studies, November 2022)

There are also those who face barriers of discrimination because of their age, or disability.

We know we face an ongoing challenge around older women becoming disconnected from the labour market - in particular those who leave the workforce temporarily to care for an elderly parent, who then struggle to regain employment once their caring role ceases.

We see the struggles too, for First Nations and culturally and linguistically diverse people.

And we know how housing insecurity, and experiences of family and domestic violence, or mental ill-health – are detrimental to a person’s capacity to attain and maintain employment.

There are also some people who cycle in and out of employment services because of seasonal work or being unable to sustain employment.

And of course there are workers who have been in long-term employment who suddenly find themselves out of work because of the evolving job market and may not have the skills required to get back into employment. These skills gaps may be in foundational skills like literacy and numeracy, or more technical skills that are needed to take up new job opportunities.

Our employment services system needs to be responsive to these different circumstances to ensure that people can get the right support at the right time to put them on a fulfilling employment pathway.

The Australians who are slipping through the cracks are not just looking for a job – they are looking for a ‘fair go.’

Looking towards the future we need to build an employment service system that can respond to people no matter how far they are from the labour market or the variety of reasons a person is not participating in work.

As I’ve described, the reasons for being out of work are variable across the caseload of Workforce Australia and we need a system that is equipped at identifying the level of assistance required, the barriers that exist and then offering timely and appropriate levels of support, with more diverse pathways that get a jobseeker into work.

A system that is flexible, that can respond whether a jobseeker’s barrier is a skills gap or they have more complex barriers that come with intergenerational unemployment.

The Labor government is already testing new approaches to supporting jobseekers.

For example the government’s digital contact centre has been established to support those jobseekers who are closer to the labour market and are able to self-manage their job search and employment requirements through the online platform.

For others, it’s working with a service to help identify skills gaps and providing training where skills gaps exist and connecting them with jobs that are available nearby as quickly as possible.

For others, it’s identifying and providing skills training where skills gaps exist and connecting them with jobs that are available nearby as quickly as possible.

For others it will be about having a different pathway to get them into work, which is likely to involve more intensive services that provide individualised and wrap around support that is not just about applying for a job but supporting activities that address the vocation and non-vocational barriers.

We have already begun to build these new different pathways recognising that a one size fits all employment service system does not meet the needs of all jobseekers.

We continue to develop and refine our online digital service offering at the same time as developing new programs for those that need more support.

For those who require more intervention we have:

• Our WorkFoundations program, designed to assist jobseekers facing complex barriers to build their work readiness by providing tailored wrap-around supports, while gaining real life work experience and earning real wages.
• For those at risk of long-term unemployment, we are piloting the Real Jobs, Real Wages program, which offers financial incentives to hire an eligible employee into a permanent job.
• Parent Pathways, provides personalised and flexible assistance, mentoring and financial support to eligible parents and carers of children up to the age of 6 years, to meet their study and work goals.
• Transition to Work, provides more intensive pre-employment support to young people aged 15 to 24, to develop practical skills to get a job or connect with further education and training.
• Our Local Jobs Program brings together businesses and community organisations to develop local workforce solutions that connect people to training, jobs and support services, as well as supporting businesses to meet their workforce needs.
• And the new Reconnection, Employment and Learning Program which will commence early next year, provides personalised mentoring and support to First Nations people in the justice system to build pathways to employment, education and training opportunities, post-release.

The program has been developed in partnership with First Nations people to tailor the service offer to the unique needs of this cohort.

Let’s always be reminded - at the heart of each of these programs is people – and people come with varying skills and life experiences and employment histories that require an intuitive employment services system to respond to their needs and provide a service that is appropriate for their circumstance.

When visiting Youth Options, one of the organisations delivering WorkFoundations, I heard directly from young people about how important having paid work experience is when applying for jobs, with one young man being knocked back from jobs for two years because of his lack of paid work experience, despite his skills and commitment to working.

Or, take 22 year-old Patrick, who was struggling with his mental health and a lack of career direction. He left school early and had no employment history and was unsure what his future held.

With a baby on the way, he was determined to turn his life around. And through receiving individualised mentoring and support through Transition to Work he was able to establish a healthy daily routine, navigate some challenging personal circumstances and get his driver's license – while also gaining skills and confidence to help him get a job.

Or a single mother of four who accessed Parent Pathways after leaving a domestic violence relationship. She reported back that she has been gaining confidence by working with her mentor to build her digital literacy skills, and she now wants to become a Family and Domestic Violence Service frontline worker, using her lived experience to help others.

These programs reflect our Government’s commitment to person-focussed employment services that are flexible enough to respond to different circumstances.

Not every jobseeker will require the same level of intensity or service support, but the support for all jobseekers - whatever the level of intensity required – needs to be fit for purpose.

If we want to achieve real reform, then the employment services system needs to be able to support every jobseeker by recognising how far they are from the labour market, the barriers that need to be overcome and then be able to respond with a tailored service and different interventions to help them overcome these barriers.

And these supports and services will likely look different depending on the characteristics of the job seekers they are serving.

We can’t put every job-seeker into one basket.

We need a system that is flexible and can differentiate the support required for those who are close to that next opportunity, and those who come from a place of entrenched disadvantage.

This type of approach is what drove the design of Inclusive Employment Australia.

Our government did this through the introduction of flexible and intensive service offerings to tailor supports to meet people where they are at on their employment journey, as well as establishing a diverse network of specialist disability providers who have deep expertise working with specific groups in order to provide more options to participants, while also promoting a regional place-based focus to deliver supports.

I will continue to engage with all of you as we work towards further reform of our country’s employment services system.

While we look at how we adapt our service system, our current system must also be focused on continual improvement. This requires a commitment to transparency and best practice and that is why new complaints data related to employment services, will soon be released.

It reflects a shift to a more user-centred, accessible, and responsive complaints system. One that prioritises participant agency and no longer redirects concerns back to providers without resolution. It’s about making sure the voices of participants are not only heard but actively shape the way services are delivered.

By making the information publicly available, we are reinforcing our expectation that providers remain accountable and responsive to the needs of those they support.

It will serve as a powerful tool for identifying patterns, addressing systemic issues, and driving quality improvements across the sector.

It will help us better understand where services are falling short and where they are excelling, enabling more targeted support and intervention.

Most complaints (85 per cent) in the first six months of operation have related to Workforce Australia Services, and nearly three-quarters raised concerns about service satisfaction.

People with a disability made up a higher proportion of complainants (34 per cent) compared to their representation in the caseload (25 per cent), highlighting the need for more inclusive and responsive service delivery. Encouragingly, most complaints were resolved quickly, with 84 per cent received via phone and often addressed at the first point of contact.

Ultimately, the new complaints service is about strengthening trust in the system and ensuring that every participant receives the respectful, effective, and fair service they deserve.

I urge all providers to engage with these insights, reflect on the experiences of participants, and use this information to drive meaningful improvements. Whether it’s enhancing communication, tailoring support for priority cohorts, or ensuring respectful and timely service, the opportunity is there, to lift standards across the board.

Of course, in order to help people reach their employment goals we need high quality employment services, and the type of service looks different depending on who you are supporting - but no matter the service, it should be quality.

Quality employment services are built on understanding, flexibility, and genuine engagement. They take the time to recognise each participant’s unique circumstances - and respond with tailored support.

Of course a high-quality employment system also includes building meaningful relationships with employers.

The provider-employer relationship is crucial. As well as preparing jobseekers for work, we also need to understand the changing needs of employers and ready them for the realities of the jobs market, to ensure their expectations can be met.

I have heard consistently from employers that they are not engaging with employment services due to the challenges associated with working with multiple providers. They are frustrated by inconsistencies in creating an understanding of the needs of their business with multiple providers and how that can hold them back from linking with job ready participants. 

Providers should not just be intermediaries – they should be guides.

Increasing quality, by its nature, increases performance.

A simplified and more effective performance framework is one way that our government will encourage high quality services to achieve better outcomes for participants and employers.

My vision for an optimal performance framework is one that delivers a high quality and effective service that is culturally safe, responsive to local needs, and is person centred.

I expect providers to walk with participants through every stage of their journey with empathy, insight and purpose.

I have asked my department to work with NESA and its members on the best way of achieving this.

We received feedback from NESA and its members about the Tailored Servicing measure presenting a significant administrative burden and not providing a meaningful measure of tailored support to participants.

In response to this, I have paused the Tailored Servicing measure so that my department can work with all of you to develop a replacement.

I am giving you time to engage in designing that replacement measure. As the people on the frontline, working with participants every day, and collecting and entering data about them into reporting systems, I know you will have ideas about how to better capture this information in a way that reflects the intent of individualised servicing.

In fact, this conference is an excellent opportunity to hear what you think about the performance framework.

My department has organised a breakout session tomorrow at 11:45, where Lisa Schofield will be eager to hear your thoughts and ideas about proposed changes to the Performance Framework and design of a new Tailored Servicing measure.

I would like to end by paying tribute to the managers and staff of NESA members throughout Australia.

Your daily work helps Australians find dignity, purpose and a path forward.

Whether you are working with a person who has recently arrived in Australia or someone who finds themselves out of a job after many years of stable employment.

As a government, we know and appreciate the value of the work that you do and look forward to working with you to address the challenges ahead.

We must commit to a person-centred design philosophy, where the individual’s needs, strengths and life circumstances are at the very heart of the services we provide – and the services we provide must be flexible to identify and help them overcome their barriers to employment, no matter how far away they are from entering or re-entering the labour market.

Employment is not a single destination but rather a journey over the course of a life and employment services need to keep pace with the needs of jobseekers and employers, every step of the way – and at every moment in time they are needed.

I look forward to working with NESA members to continue to build an employment services system that has people at its heart. We need a system that meets people where they are and connects them to the right pathways to meaningful employment.

Thank you.