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About

Disability inclusive recruitment is our mission

A certified Social Enterprise, it’s our ambition to ensure all recruitment processes are inclusive of people with disability.

Our Social Purpose

At the heart of Affirmative Recruitment is our commitment to changing the employment landscape for people with disabilities.

The hiring practices many of us have learnt were sadly not designed with people with disability in mind. This means there needs to be changes to the way most employers approach recruitment if we are to achieve the goal of a fully inclusive world of work. 

As of 2022, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reported that the employment rate for people with disabilities stood at 48%, significantly lower than the 80% employment rate for those without disabilities. In reality this means people with disabilities are twice as likely to be unemployed compared to people without disability.

Although there have been progressive government initiatives and a notable societal shift towards action around disability inclusion in recent years, unfortunately these employment-related numbers have remained largely unchanged for decades.

We can’t accept this.

As a Social Enterprise, this is how are we making a difference:

  • We’re levelling the playing field by only representing candidates with disability
  • We're seeking out the best employment programs and services for people with disability to identify under-utilised sources of talent
  • We're helping to build employer disability confidence and positivity through probono consultation
  • We're supporting affordable change by offering low, fixed fee pricing options for all services
  • We're looking at ways to invest our revenue back into employment programs for people with disability

Our Values

Behind our commitment is a set of beliefs and values which reflect the world we want to live in and which support our ambitions for inclusive employment. We pride ourselves on being Curious, Trustworthy, Accepting, Collaborative and Flexible with both our clients and candidates.

Aligned with our values is our decision to work exclusively with candidates with disability, chronic illness, or who are neurodivergent. 

We believe that positive change is both achievable and within the reach of most employers today, with the right support and encouragement. With this optimism as a foundation of our operations, we are committed to assisting employers to convert their inclusive goals and intentions into real outcomes. 

A round dark blue logo with the words Social Traders CERTIFIED SOCIAL ENTERPRISE
Photo of Matt Gowan seated at a counter. He has caucasian appearance, grey hair, blue glasses and is wearing a black jacket over a white tee shirt

Meet our Founder

Hi, I’m Matt Gowan. Welcome to Affirmative Recruitment.

I’m often asked if my motivation for being a champion for disability inclusion is based on a personal lived experience of disability, and as such the answer is no (so far). I do however recognise and embrace that I am connected across all aspects of my life to people with a diverse range of abilities and circumstances. 

What is definitely inspirational to me is the thought of communities, and in particular workplaces, which actively embrace difference. Disability inclusion is a significant part of that vision, one which seems to throw up numerous challenges for both employees and employers. So I guess my motivation comes from the importance of the work to be done and a desire to be part of it.

This ongoing passion for workplace inclusion of people with disability is the driving force behind Affirmative Recruitment. A unique recruitment consultancy, we are dedicated to exclusively representing candidates with disability, and working alongside like-minded employers to build a more diverse, inclusive world of work.

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