New data has revealed the large number of support workers caring for older Australians and people with a disability have a diverse language and cultural background.
Research commissioned by support platform Mable found that, of Mable’s 19,000 strong community of support workers:
- 22 per cent spoke another language than English at home
- More than one in three (36 per cent) identified as having a cultural background other than Australian
- 16 per cent said English is not their first language and of these people, 41 per cent have been specifically booked by clients based on sharing the same language
- Over 28 per cent of active support providers spoke a first language other than English
- Over 46 per cent of active support providers who identified with a cultural background identified as one other than Australian. This statistic includes those who identified with either Australian + one other or any other than Australian. Over 30 per cent identified as having a cultural background that was not Australian.
- Over 27 per cent of clients searching for workers based on cultural background searched for cultural backgrounds other than Australian
- Over 31 per cent of active support providers who identified with a religion, specified religious affiliations outside of Catholic, Orthodox or Christian denominations. This statistic includes those who identified with Catholic, Orthodox, Christian + one other, or any other religion than these.
The data showcased the importance of language diversity in caring for an increasingly multicultural population, with ABS statistics showing almost 30 per cent of Australians were born overseas.