Creating a ‘pull’ in disability employment.

Creating a ‘pull’ in disability employment: A focus on the demand side

John Burn, Chief Executive Officer of Disability Employment Investments (DEInvestments), presented at the Disability Employment Australia Conference 2026 on the topic of creating a stronger demand-side "pull" for workers with disability.

The presentation challenged delegates to think differently about how disability employment systems are designed and what needs to change to achieve employment growth at scale.

Australia has approximately 1.7 million working-age people with disability who experience a work limitation. Of these, around 923,000 are not engaged in work. Against this backdrop, John Burn posed a simple but important question:

What would it take for 100,000 more people with disability to be working over the next decade? 

For DEInvestments, the answer lies in shifting greater attention towards employers and the demand side of the labour market.

Current employment systems are often designed to help people with disability prepare for work and connect with available opportunities. However, many approaches still operate as a supply-side model, effectively "pushing" jobseekers towards positions that may or may not exist

John's presentation explored an alternative approach: creating genuine employer demand for workers with disability.

Drawing on principles commonly used in process design, the presentation highlighted that efficient systems are based on work being "pulled" through a process in response to demand rather than being "pushed" through regardless of need. Applying this thinking to disability employment means starting with employers, workforce needs and real labour market demand.

A key theme was the role of intermediary functions that help employers find workers when they need workers. This requires stronger workforce planning, employer engagement, community partnerships, coordinated support systems and a focus on developing high-quality talent pipelines aligned to employer demand.

The presentation also outlined DEInvestments' broader approach to system change through investments that operate across three levels:

• System: addressing societal and structural barriers that influence employment outcomes.

• Place: supporting employer demand-driven, place-based collaborations that deliver employment outcomes at scale.

• Individual: amplifying and scaling businesses and organisations that create good employment opportunities for people with disability.

  
  

As part of the conference, John Burn also participated in the panel session "Future developments on the demand side", which explored emerging evidence and policy thinking around employer engagement, procurement, incentives and organisational capability. The discussion considered how demand-side strategies can complement employment services and what future developments may be needed to shift employer behaviour in a meaningful and sustainable way. The panel brought together representatives from major employers, industry and research organisations, including Amanda Belz from McDonald's Australia Limited, Suzanne Colbert from the Centre for Inclusive Employment, Don Intine from Programmed, Alastair McEwin from the Centre for Inclusive Employment and Amy Whalley from the Australian Disability Network.

The conversation reinforced an important point: creating more and better jobs for people with disability requires more than supporting individuals into work. It requires changing the conditions that influence employer behaviour and building systems that make it easier for employers to access the workforce they need.

At DEInvestments, this remains a core focus. By working with employers, industry partners, governments and service providers, we are seeking to strengthen demand, improve employment quality and help create sustainable pathways to employment at scale.