There is a high rate of disengagement from the labour market among prime-age Indigenous Australians (aged 25-54 years). People in this demographic group are at their most productive in terms of their working lives. They are generally well past schooling and well before retirement. Non-participation in or withdrawal from the labour market at prime–age has important social and economic implications. But little is known about the underlying factors influencing Indigenous participation (or not) in the mainstream labour market.

Drawing on data from a relatively recent nationally-representative survey, this study finds that living with a disability, a history of incarceration and level of education are the three most important driving factors for both male and female labour force participation. Effects from education and incarceration experiences are larger for females than males, whereas disability has a larger effect for males than females.

We also find that the factors affecting the labour force participation of prime-age Indigenous people are different from those affecting the labour force participation of people entering the labour market (aged 15-24) and those approaching retirement (aged 55-64).

Dr Yonatan Dinku is an economist at the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research. He holds MA in International and Development Economics from ANU and PhD in Economics from the University of Otago. His research interests lie in the areas of labour market outcomes, social capital and neighbourhood effects on health and well-being. Yonatan is currently working on a range of CAEPR projects that look into the factors underlying Indigenous well-being and labour market outcomes.

Janet Hunt is Associate Professor at the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR) at the ANU. Her research focusses on governance, self-determination, community development, successful Indigenous organisations and government engagement with Indigenous people. She is currently researching Aboriginal organisations in the Kimberley and the creation of public value; new Public Management and Indigenous organisations in NSW; and Renewable energy and Indigenous people in the Kimberley. She has undertaken consultancies for Aboriginal Affairs NSW, most recently in relation to self-determination.  Janet’s background is in international development and she is also a Research Associate at the Development Policy Centre at the Crawford School, where she is working on the development of a gender-sensitive multidimensional poverty measure.

This seminar is hosted by the Centre for Aboriginal Policy and Economic Reform, ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences