Enhancing workforce participation and diversity for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) supports employers to rethink their employment practices and grow a more diverse workforce through the provision of best practice strategies to improve productivity and address labour and skills shortages.
This phased research project is a collaboration with key partners to provide advice for industry and businesses on best practice strategies to develop an inclusive and diverse workforce across Queensland.
It includes an impact analysis to investigate cohorts not participating in the workforce and the reasons they are not participating. Current Australian and International research will be analysed to identify key and common elements of strategies that support SMEs to employ underutilised cohorts.
The action-based research will provide SMEs and industry with strategies to develop inclusive and diverse workforces to support Queensland’s economic recovery, improve productivity and address labour and skills shortages.
Project Stages
Stage 1: Research and audit:
- Undertake impact analysis (economic, social, individual, industry and region) of diversity and inclusion to highlight return on investment.
- Analyse current research (international and Australia) to identify key and common elements of strategies that support SMEs to employ underutilised cohorts.
Stage 2: Contextualised advice for SMEs and industry
- Report and supporting case studies reinforcing the importance and impact of workforce diversity within a small business context
- Scalable advice and industry endorsed strategies to develop inclusive and diverse workforces to support Queensland’s economic recovery, improve productivity and address labour and skills shortages.
The project is scheduled to be delivered by June 2024.
Other resources
Last updated 21 April 2023