The Australian Government provides assistance and incentives to employers.

On this page:
Apprentices
Indigenous Australians
Disadvantaged members of the community
Further information

From 1 July 2009, a new employment services system will be introduced in Australia.

Apprentices

Australian Apprenticeships attract financial assistance for eligible employers to help reduce the real cost of training. Employers hiring an apprentice may be eligible for a range of federal and state Government incentives and personal assistance.

For information on the types of assistance available to employers, visit employer incentives on the Australian Apprenticeships website.

For more information on Australian Apprenticeships generally, and for other related employer resources, visit the Australian Apprenticeships website.

For information on how to access Australian Government assistance, and the full range of incentives you may be eligible for as an employer, contact an Australian Apprenticeships Centre. You can find Australian Apprenticeships Centres in your area by using the search feature on the Australian Apprenticeships website.

Indigenous Australians

Specific forms of assistance and programs for Indigenous Australians include:

• the Wage Assistance program
• the Corporate Leaders for Indigenous Employment Project
• Structured Training and Employment Projects (STEP)
• National Indigenous Cadetship Project (NICP).

Wage Assistance Program

This program provides a subsidy to Australian employers who give a full-time or ongoing part-time job to an eligible Indigenous job seeker.

For more information including eligibility criteria and how to apply, go to the Wage Assistance website. 

Employer incentives for Indigenous job seekers

The Australian Government offers employers incentives to employ Indigenous Australians, through the Corporate Leaders for Indigenous Employment Project, Structured Training and Employment Projects (STEP) and Wage Assistance.

For more information, visit the Australian Workplace website employer incentives for Indigenous job seekers.

National Indigenous Cadetship Project

The National Indigenous Cadetship Project (NICP) is an Australian Government initiative that improves the professional employment prospects of Indigenous Australians. It links Indigenous tertiary students with employers in a cadetship arrangement involving full-time study and work placements.

The NICP is part of the Australian Governments Indigenous Employment Policy (IEP). The IEP aims to generate more employment opportunities for Indigenous Australians.

For more information, visit the National Indigenous Cadetship Project website. 

Disadvantaged members of the community

Disadvantaged members of the community can include people with disability and long term unemployed persons.

People with disability

There is financial help and wage information available to help you when employing a person with disability. You can help address future staffing shortfalls through the employment of people who have traditionally been under-represented in the workforce.

For more information, visit the JobAccess website.

Long term unemployed

Wage Assist is a wage subsidy program available to employers who provide ongoing, full-time work opportunities for Very Long Term Unemployed (VLTU) job seekers or employment that is sufficient to take the job seeker off benefits.

For further information, visit the Wage Assist website.

Further information

If you require information on workplace relations matters or the rights and obligations of employers in the workplace, go to workplace information.