When everyone belongs, everyone thrives.
This year’s Harmony Week theme, Everyone Belongs, reflects Jobs and Skills Australia’s (JSA) commitment to fostering inclusive participation.
Realising the full skills potential of our nation creates greater workforce participation, productivity, wages, and equity. This can only happen when everyone has the opportunity to contribute and benefit.
Harmony Week, Monday 17 – Sunday 23 March recognises our diversity and brings together Australians from all different backgrounds. It’s about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone.
In his foreword to Better Together – The jobs and Skills Report 2024 JSA Commissioner, Professor Barney Glover AO, said that a focus on inclusion means we must aim for the benefits of education, training, and employment to be within reach of more Australians, and that we must include people and communities who have historically been excluded or faced significant barriers to participation.
This is why fostering inclusive participation is one of JSA’s strategic pillars. JSA supports national efforts to break down barriers in the labour market, contributing to Closing the Gap targets, advancing women’s economic equality and safety, and improving access for people with disabilities.
An example of JSA’s research to support inclusive participation is the First Nations People Workforce Analysis, which addressed a lack of timely data on education and employment outcomes for First Nations people to support policy development in relation to work and study.
JSA is also undertaking a feasibility study into how best to collect the literacy, numeracy and digital literacy skill levels of First Nations people. The study, known as Murtu Yayngiliyn (Walking Together), guided by a First Nations Cultural Advisory Panel, will enable governments to better understand First Nations people’s foundation skills needs and implement strategies to address them.
We are committed to having an open dialogue about our nation’s current and future workforce and skills needs and opportunities, because we know that it is only together, with all Australians, can we achieve a truly dynamic and inclusive future.
Join us in celebrating Harmony Week 2025 and embracing the theme ‘Everyone Belongs’.
