On a mission for job seekers

"Our investment of $300,000 has given us a return of $3 million
worth of value in terms of the additional services we can provide
to job seekers."
Toby Hall, CEO, Mission Australia

For the more than 500,000 Australians without a job, unemployment can be a demoralising experience that affects every area of life, from housing security and family stability to self-esteem and mental health. These personal impacts have a ripple effect across communities and on local, state and national budgets.

Mission Australia has been helping people transform their lives by finding employment for over 30 years. With close to 100 ‘Employment Solutions’ sites around Australia, the charity has been making sure its impact is as broad and deep as possible.

However, some sites were performing significantly better than others, attracting a ‘five-star’ rating and, in turn, additional funding from the Australian Government. The processes that set the sites apart were not clearly understood or documented, but the organisation was determined to replicate best practices across all sites.

A long-standing charity partner of PwC, Mission Australia turned to our capacity building program, which gives our charity partners access to our services at heavily discounted rates. Mission Australia and PwC scoped out a cost-effective standardising process for the Employment Solutions sites, as well as a practical implementation plan, to help deliver the most value in the shortest amount of time.

Together, we identified changes that have helped replicate the high-performing sites, allowing Mission Australia to place more job seekers at a faster rate, improve retention rates and better equip job seekers with important skills.

With more centres achieving a five-star rating, Mission Australia’s relatively modest investment will reap big returns for job seekers across the country. In economic terms, every dollar the charity spends on the project will deliver $10 worth of services. And in human terms, the value this brings to our communities is immeasurable.