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Recruit for diversity

To give your team the best potential for success, strive for a workforce of different genders, cultures, thinking styles and experiences. To build a diverse team, ensure your recruitment practices are inclusive, accessible, and attractive to people of all backgrounds and abilities.

Under the Public Sector Act 2022 (the Act), entities have a duty to embed equity, diversity, respect and inclusion in recruitment. Equity and diversity audits measure employment targets for under-represented groups, and progress against the targets are published in our annual State of the sector report.

Under the Act and the Recruitment and selection directive (the directive), every recruitment process must:

  • consult and apply the directions, targets and goals set out within your organisation’s Equity and diversity and Workforce plans (see the directive, clause 7.6 and 9.10)
  • create a role description or redesign an existing role ensuring requirements are accessible and inclusive, and reflect the holistic set of skills, capabilities, qualities and attributes needed to do the role (with or without adjustments) (see the directive, clause 7.9)
  • consider if the role is an identified role due to the nature of its work, or if targeted recruitment could be used to boost diversity (see the directive, clause 8.8)
  • advertise in a way that maximises quality and diverse applicant pools, by creating a job advertisement that is accessible, culturally safe and inclusive in design ( see the directive, clause 6.2 and 8.9)
  • establish a diverse selection panel that enables a culturally safe recruitment process, considers diversity representation as a success factor, and makes decisions that enhances the organisation’s cultural understanding and ongoing cultural capability (see the directive, clause 9.6 and 6.2)
  • consider how to avoid unconscious biases (see the directive, clause 9.8)
  • invite candidates to share their contribution to equity and diversity as part of their application (demonstrated through lived experience or prior work experience) and value this evidence as part of suitability (see the directive, clause 8.14)
  • provide candidate care and communicate in a timely, regular, warm, and respectful way (see the directive, clause 9.8).

Find out more about the public sector’s progress towards diversity targets and employment experience of diversity groups in the State of the sector report 2024.

Plan and conduct a recruitment process with inclusion and accessibility at its core. Candidates can worry about stigma, ignorance and discrimination towards their needs or differences. Be consistent with your messaging, and offer support and adjustments throughout the process to help ease their fear.

Before advertising

  • Focus on capabilities, skills and values that are needed for the role. Where possible, allow for equivalent qualifications and make accreditation desirable instead of essential.
  • Consider using inclusion competencies as a required capability for the role, such as those used in the Leadership competencies for Queensland.
  • Include links to your agency inclusion and diversity initiatives, and memberships (such as the Diversity Council Australia, Pride in Diversity and Australian Disability Network).
  • Use visual cues in your recruitment correspondence to show you are an inclusive workplace. For example, include an acknowledgement of local Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander traditional owners and country in your email signature block.
  • Describe the flexible work arrangements available for your team. Lack of flexibility is a barrier to employment for many people and is expected from candidates more than ever.
  • Promote the Queensland public sector’s commitment to working closely with employees to identify and implement adjustments for employees throughout their career.

During recruitment

  • Consider de-identifying applications for screening and shortlisting, or automatically shortlisting candidates who identify with any of the diversity target groups.
  • Talk with your candidates before organising your interviews and assessment tasks. Confirm if they need support or adjustments. You might arrange interviews to be online, or in the office or at a quiet café based on your conversations. You may decide to provide your assessment tasks a day in advance rather than just prior to the interview. You could decide on multiple assessment tasks instead of just one. Written challenges can be more difficult with people with dyslexia, or English as a second language. Online assessments might be harder to complete for people using screen-reader software. Time sensitive assessments may be more challenging for people with anxiety disorders, or who read slowly or have manual dexterity challenges.
  • Diversity of thought is also critical to balanced and productive teams. Avoid only hiring like-minded people who think the same way as you. To add new perspectives and diversity of thought consider people from different industries, backgrounds, demographics, education and lifestyles as potential additions to your team.
  • Use Springboard online tools where possible to increase confidentiality.

Onboarding

  • Before your new employee starts, consider if your team would be helped by added training. For example, cultural capability training (for Queensland government employees) or disability training.
  • Consider what added support you might need to provide the new starter to ensure inclusiveness during onboarding and into the future.
  • Discuss and arrange any necessary adjustments like flexible work arrangements, ICT requirements, facility access or ergonomic requirements. Explore funding options available through JobAccess.
  • Establish a mentoring or buddy system within your immediate team, and outside the team (for example to connect with others of similar backgrounds and experiences), as well as available employee networks.
  • Be respectful of when and how your new employee wants to share information about themselves. Let them decide and share as they feel comfortable.

For more help embedding equity, diversity, respect and inclusion into recruitment, read the Recruitment and selection summary guide (PDF, 832.4 KB) . See also the Improving representation through inclusive recruitment practices case study for a practical example.

Targeted recruitment can improve the representation of a particular diversity group in an agency. It limits applications for one or more roles to people with specific attributes. This helps:

  • address under-representation
  • remove barriers to employment opportunities
  • meet diversity targets within an entity.

For example, an agency might limit all roles in a business area over a 6-month period to people from a culturally and linguistically diverse background.

Targeted recruitment is supported by clause 8.8 and 8.16 of the Recruitment and selection directive, and section 105 of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991.

Unlike identified role, it is the recruitment process that is targeted, not the role. The role should look identical to other roles within the agency. The difference is the role is only open to people with a particular attribute.

Using targeted recruitment

You must get approval from your chief executive or local delegate and document your decision. You must include evidence and reasons that support making the recruitment process targeted. As a start, consult your equity and diversity plan or workforce plan to understand the diversity of your workforce and any recruitment priorities.

Role advertisement

Your role advertisement must have a clear statement that it’s a targeted recruitment process, open only to people with the desired attributes. You must state the reason for this, and the legislation that supports it. If you need evidence of the desired attributes, advise what that evidence will be and when you need it. You must also advise that the role will not have specific duties tied to being from the diversity group.

Example

This role is being filled using a targeted recruitment process. It is open only to people who identify as an Aboriginal person, Torres Strait Islander person, or person with a disability.

Candidates must include a statement in their application if they identify with one or more of these relevant groups. There are no specific duties tied to being from one of these diversity groups. Our department is committed to supporting diversity in our ICT division. Targeted recruitment is a supported approach for the Queensland public sector as set out in clause 8.8 and 8.16 of the Recruitment and selection directive. It is also supported by section 105 of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991.

Targeted diversity groups

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

Connect with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander career pathways service team before advertising a vacancy. The team can match your needs with potential employees actively looking to develop their skills through on-the-job learning.

If you need to advertise, consider using specialist job boards and recruitment services such as:

People with disability

Consider using specialist job boards and recruitment services such as:

The Australian Government’s Job Access service can provide free, expert advice on how to remove barriers to employing people with disability.

People from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds

Tailor your recruitment strategies to reach diverse communities. Engage with culturally and linguistically diverse communities and bodies, such as:

Use specialised employment organisations, such as:

Promote the opportunity through media outlets that are provided by, or targeted to, specific cultural or linguistic communities (print or online media, community boards, radio or social media channels).

Promote flexible work options and inclusive workplace settings (e.g. a prayer room).

Research existing strategies and guides. For example:

Women in leadership

Visit our gender equity in the workplace page to learn more about how the Queensland Government is prioritising gender equity, and find resources to help target your recruitment process.

Consider using specialist job boards and recruitment services such as:

An identified role is a role a chief executive or relevant local delegate determines must be filled by a person with a particular attribute because of the duties of that role (also called a genuine occupational requirement under section 25 of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991).

Identified roles usually require interaction with, or delivery of services to, members of the community with that attribute. It is not discriminatory or unlawful if it is a genuine occupational requirement.

Identified roles are supported by clause 8.8 and 8.16 of the Recruitment and selection directive, and section 105 of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991.

Creating an identified role

You must get approval from your chief executive or local delegate and document your decision. You must include evidence and reasons that support making the role an identified role. As a start, consult your equity and diversity action plan or workforce plan to understand the diversity of your workforce and any recruitment priorities.

Role description

Your role description must clearly state the mandatory attributes a candidate must possess, the reason for this, and the legislation that supports it.

Role advertisement

Your role advertisement must clearly state that it is an identified role.

Example

This is a role delivering training about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, to be filled by an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person. This aligns with the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 protected attribute of race.

Last updated:
6 October 2023