Client issues and barriers
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The main barriers
Knowing who your clients are
Case study: Clinton
Family and personal matters
Other factors to be considered
The main barriers
Indigenous job seekers face many issues and barriers when seeking work. In the report Skills and Demographic Profile (30 June 2002), the Adelaide Metropolitan Area Consultative Committee identified the five most significant barriers faced by Indigenous job seekers as:
- family issues and responsibilities
- lack of reliable transport
- lack of appropriate education, skills and knowledge
- low self esteem
- inability to look for a job.
Family issues & responsibilities
For Indigenous job seekers, family issues are the most significant barrier to finding employment. Some responsibilities such as small children, aged parents and family ill-health are similar to those faced by non-Indigenous families, however family issues in Indigenous communities can be quite diverse and can include:
- housing/accommodation problems
- health
- deaths in family
- deaths in custody
- drugs and alcohol
- medication
- legal issues
- peer pressure
- stolen generation—grief not dealt with
- custody of children
- caring for children and the elderly.
Lack of reliable transport
Lack of a driver's license, funds to buy a vehicle and the general public transport system restrictions are issues that hinder many Indigenous job seekers. In some circumstances, even if job seekers have a car they may not be able to afford petrol and running costs.
Lack of appropriate education, skills and knowledge
Many Indigenous job seekers do not have the appropriate skills for the work they seek. A key cause is the high rate of students not completing secondary education and/or lack of post-secondary education qualifications that are often required for mainstream employment.
Low self esteem
Most Indigenous issues and barriers ultimately lead to low self-esteem and/or a fear of not being capable of doing a particular job, including lacking confidence to express themselves when competing for a job.
Inability to look for a job and knowing what's available
For many Indigenous job seekers, applying for a job is a daunting experience. Many do not know where to start and rely heavily on CDEP or local community Indigenous organisations, word of mouth or newspapers. However, this leads to limited exposure to the wider labour market.
Many Indigenous job seekers have limited exposure to information technology. Not being aware of 'online' information or not knowing how to access it means many job seekers are missing out on a large number of employment opportunities.
Knowing who your clients are
As previously discussed, Indigenous job seekers are not one homogenous group as many people assume. They come from many diverse communities across Australia and have their own cultural identities, life experiences and lifestyles.
It is important to recognise these circumstances when developing strategies for Indigenous job seekers. Your Indigenous clients may come from within the local community or they may come from the other side of Australia.
When looking at service provision, Indigenous job seekers may be categorised by the following factors.
Age
- Youth—15 to 24 Years (also refer to Youth Employment Toolbox).
- Mature age—45 years and above (also refer to Mature age Employment Toolbox).
Gender
Gender requirements differ for Indigenous males and females. Indigenous women face additional barriers to employment, particularly single mothers who have homes to run and family responsibilities.
Workforce experience
The following categories reflect some of the diversities of Indigenous job seekers:
- never worked—for example, many women having just raised a family may be entering the workforce for the first time
- school students—starting a career
- some workforce experience—this may include part-time workers, shift workers and those who undertake ad hoc jobs including seasonal work
- recently unemployed after long workforce experiences
- long-term unemployed—for many people it may be 10 years since their last job
- newly released prisoners—return to work issues.
Being the first person in the family to get a job
Successful Indigenous job seekers could be the first person in their family in one or two generations to secure a full-time job. Most family members have had difficulty getting employment, sometimes only gaining seasonal work. Like a lot of children, while growing up some also want to do the same job as their parents, even if it is only fruit picking.
Family and personal matters
Indigenous people face many challenges during their life time. It is important to understand how these challenges impact on their working lives.
Family obligations
Family obligations are an everyday occurrence for many Indigenous employees. It is one of the challenges they face on-the-job. The following issues should be considered:
Identity
For a large majority of Indigenous people, family is the most important part of their lives. One of the fundamental differences between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people is that Indigenous people get their identity from WHO they are and not WHAT they are.
For example, in a conversation, the first question that a non-Indigenous person may ask another is what they do for a living. If the same conversation was held between two Indigenous people, their first question would be who their family was or where they were from. This establishes a sense of identity—the 'clan', 'mob' or land area that Indigenous people belong to.
Extended family
Indigenous people put many things in their own lives on hold mostly to accommodate family issues. The definition of 'family' to Indigenous people often goes beyond the typical family definition used by non-Indigenous people. This brings a whole range of added responsibilities. For example, to raise, clothe and feed your relative's kids is an everyday duty for many Indigenous people.
Similarly, to have family members visit you at work to borrow something or get assistance is also a very common event. It is common in many Indigenous families that successful family members will assist the rest of the family.
Many single-parent families have lots of children. If one or both parents have died, young men or women often become surrogate parents to their younger brothers and sisters. They take on enormous responsibilities disciplining and protecting their siblings. They are required to be the head of the house before their time.
Funerals
Indigenous people will attend funerals more often than non-Indigenous people. The death of a community member involves the entire community attending the funeral to pay their respects. This is a period when business should never be done.
The death of a relative such as a second or third cousin is not usually recognised as immediate family by non-Indigenous people. This can cause a problem as leave is not usually granted to attend the funeral.
Indigenous people are often obliged to attend these funerals, and if they do not, they can be looked down upon by the bereaved family. It is therefore important to acknowledge that Indigenous people attend funerals more regularly than non-Indigenous people.
When a funeral occurs within a community, it is also seen as rude to just attend the funeral service and go home. Indigenous people are again obliged to assist with the funeral arrangements and then afterwards attend to the family. For those Indigenous people who live and work away from their community, traveling time should also be factored into the amount of time that may be needed to attend the entire funeral.
Kinship
A basic principle in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kinship is that each person in a language group can identify their relationship to every other member of that group—thus the term extended family. This is not done by extending the range of relationship terms by using terms equivalent to second cousin or sixteenth cousin but by using the same term and including more people under each term. More people are classified as belonging to each category. This is known as the classification system of kinship and can be extended to include all members of the society.
Other factors to be considered
Time
Concept of time for Indigenous people may cause problems when in employment. In the past, Indigenous communities relied on seasonal changes to determine when things get done. An Indigenous jobseeker may have been out of work for some time so adjusting to the way non-Indigenous people operate by clockwork takes some adjusting.
Shame
Many Indigenous people are quite often shy and will feel "shame" when they are embarrassed. Do not be offended if you do not get an assertive response. Indigenous people are often embarrassed and unsure how to respond in certain situations.
Men's business and women's business
Indigenous men and women have different roles and responsibilities within their family and the community, as do non-Indigenous people. However, certain cultural practices allow women and men a particular area of knowledge within that culture which they must protect and discuss only with their gender.
Eye contact
Many Indigenous people will not make eye contact with other people. 'Eyes down' is considered to be a sign of respect in Indigenous communities. Many people assume that Indigenous people are rude if they don't keep eye contact. This may cause someone to think that there is a lack of interest in what is being said or shown. Don't look at the situation as a negative one, just show an understanding. When you are communicating with an Indigenous person, don't stare or you will create an uncomfortable situation.
