Greater social inclusion can lift GDP by billions: Deloitte

Australia’s productivity has weakened in recent years, growing by an average of 1.1 per cent - below the long-run average of 1.5 per cent.

A new report by Deloitte, commissioned by SBS, argues that a stronger focus on social inclusion has the potential to lift the nation’s GDP by almost $12.7 billion a year.

While previous studies show that workplace inclusion in Australia has improved over time, there is still significant scope for improvement.

Workforce participation of people with a disability is almost 30 per cent below those without a disability; the gender pay gap remains at about 15 per cent and reported experiences of discrimination because of ethnic origin or religion has more than doubled between 2007 and 2017.