COMING SOON: State of the Nation on Disability Employment: Employers
Deloitte Access Economics & Disability Employment Investments
This survey is being conducted by Wallis Social Research on behalf of Deloitte Access Economics and Disability Employment Investments (DEInvestments). Your response will inform a State of the Nation Report on Disability Employment being published by DEInvestments.
Trouble accessing the survey? Try copying and pasting the URL below into your browser. <INSERT SURVEY LINK>
When is the survey being conducted?
The survey will be open for completion until 19 August 2026.
How long will the survey take?
The survey takes most people between 15-20 minutes. If you are unable to complete the survey in one sitting, you can provide your contact details to be sent a link to resume the survey later (we will save your progress).
Who can I contact if I have any questions? If you require any further information about the survey you can contact Wallis by phone or email:
Call: 1800WALLIS (1800 925 547)
Email: employmentsurvey@wallis.social
Wallis’ phones and inbox are monitored Monday to Friday, 8.30am – 5.30pm (AEST). If you contact us outside of these hours, we will get back to you on the next business day.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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What is the purpose of this survey, and how will the results be used?
DEInvestments – in partnership with Deloitte Access Economics and Wallis Social Research – is developing a State of the Nation Report on Disability Employment in Australia. The research will be published in late 2026, and will focus on:
The number of jobs held by people with disability, and barriers to access
The quality of those jobs, in terms of conditions, employment experiences and progression opportunities
The opportunities to change employer and workforce systems, to ensure equal access to decent work.
The employer survey will ask some questions about the characteristics of your workforce, but it is not intended to be used to identify or benchmark any individual organisations’ performance on disability employment. Your survey response will be deidentified (unless you consent to being contacted for future surveys). Only aggregated findings will be shared publicly and reported by employer group (e.g., by type, size, industry). All questions are voluntary.
Insights can also help facilitate wider discussions with government, philanthropy, and the broader sector about the importance and benefits of promoting disability employment. Results might also shape future State of the Nation reports, such as by comparing survey outcomes from different years.
Why is this survey relevant?
This survey gives your organisation an opportunity to strengthen the evidence base on disability employment and contribute to a broader understanding of the sector’s impact. Your responses may also identify where additional support or resources are needed.
How is this survey different from the other disability employment surveys I have completed, or data collected by Government about disability?
This survey is different because of its purpose - it’s designed to support a national conversation about disability employment. To do this, it:
Seeks to address important evidence gaps by improving our understanding of the current state of disability employment in Australia and the barriers that people encounter across the employment system.
Uses a novel framework to bring together information about the attitudes, behaviours and actions of both employers and the workforce.
Establishes a baseline for measuring change over time and tracking progress towards a more inclusive employment system.
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How will our data be stored and protected?
All data collected by Wallis Social Research is stored securely in Australia. This data will not be sent data offshore, in full compliance with Australian privacy laws. For more information, please see Wallis’ privacy policy: https://www.wallis.social/privacy.
During the project, deidentified data will be securely stored in Deloitte’s managed, onshore private cloud, compliant with global security standards. Data will be retained securely for the duration necessary to complete the research and report in accordance with Deloitte’s privacy policy. DEInvestments may also have access to data via Deloitte’s managed, onshore private cloud.
Deidentified data will be used to inform the analysis and may be processed using Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools. No sensitive or personal information will be processed with AI.
At the end of the survey, you will be asked if you would like to be contacted in future about the research. If you say yes, we will ask for your name and contact details. That identifiable data will only be stored for 24 months, and will only be accessible to Wallis Social Research.
Is participation compulsory?
Participation is completely voluntary. By consenting, you are indicating your willingness to participate in the research. You can refuse consent altogether without having to justify the decision, and there are no consequences if you do not consent to participate.
If you have opted to provide your email address, you can withdraw your consent at any time after submitting the survey. We will then remove your contact details and survey responses from the study.
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Will the findings be shared with my organisation?
Yes. The findings will be shared through a final public report that summarises the results of the survey. The report will present information at an aggregate level (for example, by business type, size or other broad groupings), allowing readers to understand sector-wide trends and patterns. No individual or organisation will be identified in the report, and identifiable responses will not be shared with funders or external stakeholders. All results will be reported in a way that protects confidentiality.
What kinds of questions are asked of employers?
The survey will ask about the characteristics of your organisation, its employment practices, and experiences employing people with disability. This includes questions about workplace systems and policies, recruitment and retention practices, barriers to employment, and the supports and programs used to facilitate the employment of people with disability.
The findings will be aggregated to establish a national benchmark and track progress over time through annual reporting, with the survey to be conducted each year. No individual or organisation will be identified in any reporting.
My organisation is an Australian Disability Enterprise (ADE) or provides supported employment. Is this survey relevant to us?
Yes, this survey is still relevant to you and we want your organisation to be represented. When we talk about employees in the report and in the survey, we want to include the experiences of people working in ADEs, social enterprises and other supported settings. And when we cover employers, we want to recognise the role ADEs play employment workers with and without a disability.
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What kind of questions will you ask my employees?
The survey will ask about people’s current employment situation, goals and experiences in the workforce. It also asks whether they have a disability, whether it has been disclosed, and other demographic questions. All questions are voluntary.
The findings will be used to establish a national benchmark and track progress over time through annual reporting for the general public and people with disability, with the survey to be conducted each year.
No individual or organisation will be identified in any reporting.
What does the survey ask someone who is not currently employed?
If you are not currently employed but are able to work, the survey will ask about your background, disability status, employment aspirations, whether you would like to work in the future and the reasons for your views. It will also ask about any job search activities undertaken in the past two years, as well as your experiences, attitudes and perceptions of quality employment.
If you are not currently able to work, the survey will ask about your background, disability status, use of support services and systems, and your general attitudes and perspectives towards work and employment.
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How long will the survey take to complete?
The survey should take about 15-20 minutes to complete. The survey allows you to save your progress and return to it later if required.
One of my employees has a significant disability and will require assistance to participate in the workforce survey. What options are available for them?
We are committed to making this survey accessible and inclusive. Please let Wallis know what support would be ideal to facilitate their response, and we can be in touch to discuss options:
Call: 1800WALLIS (1800 925 547)
Email: employmentsurvey@wallis.social
Wallis’ phones and inbox are monitored Monday to Friday, 8.30am – 5.30pm (AEST). If you contact us outside of these hours, we will get back to you on the next business day. -
Who is conducting this survey?
The survey is being operated by Wallis Social Research on behalf of Deloitte Access Economics. Deloitte Access Economics will conduct the survey analysis.
Who is DEInvestments?
Disability Employment Investments (DEInvestments) is a philanthropic collective and strategic re-granter committed to transforming employment opportunities for people with disability in Australia. Their core objective is to activate the employer demand-side of disability employment and support people with disability to have more and better access to employment. For more information, see their website.
Who is Deloitte Access Economics?
Deloitte Access Economics is Australia’s pre-eminent economics advisory practice and a member of Deloitte's global economics group. For more information, see our their website. Deloitte Access Economics have been engaged by DEInvestments to develop the State of the Nation report.
Who is Wallis Social Research?
Wallis Social Research is Australia’s leading social research organisation, with deep expertise in large-scale social research. We specialise in designing and conducting public and private sector surveys, program evaluations, and longitudinal studies to help inform decision-making at all levels of government and community organisations. Wallis Social Research have been contracted to help develop and field the survey to inform the State of the Nation report.