Australia's job seekers are much more likely to be from marginalised groups, and employers will need to improve their diverse hiring practices if they're to meet their workforce needs.
New Diversity Council Australia research says more than three million Australians are looking for or want more work, despite nearly a third of organisations saying they can't find suitable staff to fill their jobs.
They say the new research will help that problem get solved, listing a number of guiding principles to effectively recruit with inclusion in mind.
Their inclusive recruitment principles include focusing on treating people "fairly" rather than the same, and to approach the idea of hiring "on merit" with caution as it is subjective.
They also encourage those hiring to listen and learn from people with lived experience of marginalisation.
Chief executive Lisa Annese said with unemployment low, organisations could easily use large candidate pools to diversify their workforces.
"More often than not, these potential workers belong to marginalised groups, and not only are these workers being left off recruitment radars, they are experiencing bias and exclusion in the recruitment process itself - both covertly and overtly," she said.
"Australian organisations need to diversify who and how they hire if they are to meet their workforce needs - tapping into pools of talent typically left off their recruitment radars."
Those looking for work are most likely to be from groups including Indigenous Australians, culturally marginalised, carers, lower social class, people with disability, and people aged under 25 or over 55.
If they belong to two marginalised groups, like young Indigenous people or young women with caring responsibilities, they're even more likely to be ignored by employers.
"In this research we find that many employers look at inclusive recruitment as treating everyone the same ... the facts are that the best inclusive recruitment considers diversity and differences and treats people fairly," Ms Annese said.
"By opening up our recruitment practices and making them more accessible and inclusive, not only can we tap into the incredible talents of almost three million Australians, but we can also create a more equitable job market for all."
