When jobs are hard to get, don’t forget the disability employment sector.

When Shane White lost his job making fly screen doors during the pandemic last year, he enrolled in a JobReady program, which offered people with no prior disability experience, seven days’ initial training and ongoing support in the workplace.

“People don’t realise that entry to the industry is not that difficult and the rewards are just incredible,” Mr White said.

A typical day for Mr White includes helping someone in a wheelchair get out of bed, shower and prepare for work; listening to a client with dementia reminisce about their life; and taking a man in his late 80s for walks in the park.

While this isn’t going to rock everyone’s boat after working in manufacturing or a trade, it’s a job. For example, SA Structural, one of Australia’s biggest structural steel manufacturers based in Adelaide, has fallen into administration, with 200 workers set to lose their jobs.

The disability sector wants people in industries hit by COVID-19 to consider a new career in disability services to tackle a desperate shortage of workers.

National Disability Services chief executive David Moody reckons an extra 120,000 workers are needed to meet demand generated by the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Able Australia acting CEO Lynette McKeown said the disability service provider was also experiencing a shortage of workers, particularly in less densely populated areas or where qualified staff were required.

The government was exploring and implementing options to increase the disability workforce size and ensure quality safeguards were maintained.

Mr White believes disability care work will appeal to others from COVID-19-affected industries, although he said the casualisation of the industry was a negative.

More disability support jobs in Adelaide can be found here.