Managing workforce diversity in Australia

Inspite of the growing importance of workforce diversity in Australia, very little empirical research has been done to assess practices used to manage diversity. This study sought to assess the extent to which organisations in Australia were using diversity practices when performing their Human Resources functions. The study also assessed the perceived challenges and benefits of diversity in the workforce. Five hundred organisations, selected at random from the manufacturing industry, were surveyed using a standardised questionnaire. The study was conducted on a national basis. The findings of this study indicated that the extent of adoption of diversity management practices in Australia is only "average". The only Human Resources function in which good diversity management practices were used was "Remuneration". The data indicates that Australian managers do not consider workforce diversity to be a major challenge nor do they believe that it provides significant benefits to the organisation. The significance of these findings and the implications for future research are discussed.