Last checked: 13 July 2026. Employment supports can come from an employer, a government employment program, the NDIS, or a combination of these. Which supports are available depends on the person, the job, the workplace and the funding in their plan.
Employment can mean different things to different people. It might be a first paid job, a role in the open labour market, self-employment, or work in a supported employment service. The important starting point is the person’s own goals, interests, support needs and right to make informed choices.
This guide explains the current language used in 2026, the difference between open and supported employment, and where employer, mainstream and NDIS responsibilities sit.
Inclusive Employment Australia replaced DES
Inclusive Employment Australia replaced Disability Employment Services (DES) on 1 November 2025. It is the Australian Government’s specialist employment program for people with disability, injury or a health condition.
Inclusive Employment Australia providers may help eligible people prepare for work, find a suitable job, maintain employment and grow their career. They can also work with employers on recruitment, workplace practices, job customisation and ongoing support.
Inclusive Employment Australia and the NDIS do different jobs. A person may receive help from one or both systems. The NDIS may fund disability-related employment supports when a participant needs more assistance than an employer or mainstream employment program is responsible for providing. Funding is individual and must be included in the participant’s plan.
Workplace setting and support level are different questions
It helps to separate two questions:
- Where does the person work? This might be an ordinary business, government organisation, social enterprise, micro-business, supported employment service or their own business.
- How much ongoing support do they need at work? Some people need little or no disability-specific support. Others need substantial and ongoing support to obtain or keep paid employment.
Open employment
Open employment is work in the general labour market. Jobs are open to people with and without disability. A person in open employment may still use reasonable workplace adjustments, Inclusive Employment Australia, disability-related NDIS supports, or a combination of supports.
Supported employment
The Department of Social Services describes supported employment as paid work for people with disability who need substantial ongoing support to obtain or keep a job.
Supported employment is not limited to one type of workplace. NDIS-supported employment funding may be used in mainstream employment, social enterprises, micro-businesses, self-employment or supported employment services. Australian Disability Enterprise, or ADE, is the traditional name still used for some supported employment services.
This means a person can work in a mainstream workplace and still receive substantial ongoing disability support. The workplace setting and the level of support are related, but they are not the same thing.
Who is responsible for employment support?
The employment system, employers and the NDIS each have different responsibilities. The current NDIS guide to providing employment supports explains that a participant may need disability-related support at work in addition to what their employer is responsible for providing.
- The employer is responsible for wages and employment conditions, ordinary workplace induction, training and supervision, workplace health and safety duties, and fair treatment and reasonable adjustments required by law.
- Inclusive Employment Australia may help an eligible person prepare for, find and maintain work, and may help an employer make the workplace more inclusive.
- The NDIS may fund disability-related supports that are additional to what an employer or mainstream program should provide, where those supports meet NDIS rules and are included in the participant’s plan.
NDIS funding does not pay a participant’s wages or replace an employer’s legal responsibilities. For eligible people, the Australian Government’s Employment Assistance Fund may reimburse approved workplace modifications, equipment and services.
What disability-related employment supports may the NDIS fund?
The NDIS does not use one standard package for everyone. According to the current NDIS guide to providing employment supports, eligible supports may help a participant at different stages of their employment journey.
Depending on the person’s plan and disability-related needs, specialist NDIS employment support may include help to:
- build work skills and understand employer expectations
- practise public transport and workplace communication
- try work experience and identify barriers to employment
- develop a work goal or career plan
- receive disability-related assessment, counselling or advice from an appropriately qualified allied health professional
- receive on-the-job coaching, mentoring, job customisation or support to manage complex disability-related needs at work
These examples do not mean a support will automatically be funded. The NDIA considers the participant’s evidence, circumstances, goals and current plan. Only the NDIA can decide what funding is included in an NDIS plan.
Questions to ask when comparing employment support
A good provider should explain its role clearly and help the participant understand what it will and will not do. Useful questions include:
- Is this an Inclusive Employment Australia service, an NDIS employment support, or both?
- What paid-employment goal will the service work towards?
- What support will be provided, how often, and by whom?
- How will progress and outcomes be recorded and shared with the participant?
- What is the provider’s experience with the participant’s preferred type of work and support needs?
- Is the provider suitable for the way the participant’s NDIS plan is managed?
- What are the fees, cancellation terms and exit arrangements in the service agreement?
A participant can speak with their NDIS contact about employment goals and whether their current plan includes employment supports. This conversation does not guarantee new or continued funding.
Where HORIZONS Support Network fits
HORIZONS Support Network is not an employment service. We do not place people in jobs, deliver Inclusive Employment Australia or provide specialist NDIS employment supports.
We are a non-registered support-worker provider for self-managed and plan-managed participants only. We do not support NDIA-managed participants. Our Brisbane services are daily personal activities, independent living skills, social and community participation and Short Term Respite when they match a participant’s approved plan and service agreement.
We do not provide SIL, clinical services, Support Coordination, plan management, advocacy or legal advice. Our everyday support may help a participant practise routines, public transport, communication, budgeting, independent living skills and community participation. That practical support can sit alongside employment services, but it does not replace them.
We cannot decide, secure, retain or protect NDIS funding. We also cannot guarantee a job, a particular employment pathway, plan funding or any other NDIS outcome.
If you are looking for practical support-worker services in Brisbane, you can read about our services. For job search, job placement or specialist employment support, contact an Inclusive Employment Australia provider, a specialist NDIS employment provider or your NDIS contact, depending on your circumstances.
Official sources
- Department of Social Services: Inclusive Employment Australia
- Department of Social Services: Supported employment
- JobAccess: What the Employment Assistance Fund can cover
- JobAccess: Employment Assistance Fund Guidelines
- Fair Work Ombudsman: Employees with disability
- Safe Work Australia: Duties under work health and safety laws
- NDIS: Guide to providing employment supports
