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First Nations Employment Index 2025
Research Areas
Equity +
Justice
Policy +
Politics
Workforce +
Economy
Project Status
The First Nations Employment Index 2025 (Index 2025) was conceptualised within the Minderoo Foundation and transferred to the National Indigenous Employment and Training Alliance (The Alliance). The Minderoo Foundation commissioned two research partners – Murawin who led the qualitative research and SRC who led the quantitative research. The research was overseen by an external Advisory Panel with a majority First Nations representation and received AIATSIS ethics approval. It is envisaged that the Index will be implemented every two years.
The intention of Index 2025 was to collect data on employment practices related to First Nations employment from 10% of the Australian workforce. This encompassed employers early on their reconciliation journey, through to those who had been on the journey for many years.
Partner
This research was conducted for the National Indigenous Employment and Training Alliance (The Alliance) by two research partners, Murawin and The Social Research Centre.
Aims + Outcomes
The research objectives of Index 2025 were to:
- Elevate First Nations voices on the journey to true employment parity.
- Increase non-First Nations-led employers’ capability and accountability for change.
- Identify outcomes-based practices for First Nations employment.
Organisations that took part in Index 2025 contributed to informing a larger conversation with employers and the public about the role of large organisations in helping to support and achieve employment parity for First Nations People.
Methods
The research methodology was both quantitative and qualitative, as follows:
Quantitative
An online survey was conducted to evaluate the First Nations employment strategies, policies and practices at each participating organisation. The survey was used to confidentially rank and compare employers, to identify any trends or patterns from the previous Index (Index 2022), and to provide individualised feedback to employers on their journey to First Nations employment parity.
Qualitative
1:1 interviews and focus groups were conducted with relevant employees of the large employers who participated in Index 2025.
Insight
2025
The Index 2025 report has been published, it can be accessed here: First Nations Employment Index 2025
Impact
ABC
Who is hiring for those with disabilities?
ABC
Who is hiring for those with disabilities?
ABC
Who is hiring for those with disabilities?
Have you been contacted to participate?
Who participates?
Employer identification, engagement and recruitment have been managed by the Minderoo Foundation, with an aim to target employers with an Australian workforce larger than 5,000 employees. If you have been recruited for the study, you will have received contact from Minderoo about participation. Data collection for Index 2024 will be carried out between March and June 2024.
What are the benefits?
This research will assist in furthering our understanding of the insights from Index 2022, measuring progress towards true employment parity and developing best practices for First Nations employees. Participating employees have the opportunity to have their voices heard and contribute to improved employment outcomes and participating organisations will receive the research results in a benchmark report that is useful, accessible and easy to read.
How does it work?
If your organisation has been contacted by the Minderoo Foundation to participate in Index 2024, you will receive an invitation email upon fieldwork commencement (expected April 2024). This email will include information about registering your organisation’s participation in Index 2024, and the process for completing the Index survey. We recommend that the Index survey is completed on a computer due to its layout.
Resources
For information about completing this survey as a participant, please refer to the following information and consent form:
For information about completing this survey as a new organisation, please refer to the following information and consent form:
If your organisation participated in the Australian First Nations Employment Index 2022, please refer to the following information and consent form:
How do we ensure privacy is protected?
Get in touch
If you have any further questions, or require any additional information, please contact us via email at firstnationsindex@srcentre.com.au or via phone 1800 023 040.
FAQs
How will the information be used?
Participation is always voluntary, but your participation is important.
Why? Because it ensures representativeness and that results can be projected to the population.
How long will the survey take to complete?
Our staff may have contacted you as part of a research survey. We are a social research company, exempt from the Australian Do Not Call Register, meaning we may call telephone numbers listed on the Do Not Call Register to conduct opinion polling and standard questionnaire-based research. We are not telemarketers, we are not selling a product and we do not provide your name or contact information to any other parties.
The phone numbers we dial are either:
- Randomly generated by computer, using known telephone exchange prefixes
- Randomly selected from available telephone directories
- Provided to us by our clients.
Master template test 2
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General FAQs
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