The recent Social Enterprise Jobs Summit — Australia’s first conference dedicated to jobs-focused social enterprises — brought together 380 social enterprise changemakers to explore how to create a future where everyone has access to decent and meaningful work.
Delivered in partnership by White Box Enterprises and Social Enterprise Australia, the summit generated hope, energy, insights and ideas, and a hunger and willingness to find paths forward together.
The following themes emerged through discussions at the summit. They can help inform the further development of a national sector strategy and the ‘access to decent work’ challenge within it.
(For a more in-depth look at the ten areas for action that emerged during the Summit, including emerging priorities for each of the following ten themes, see: Social Enterprise Jobs Summit Insights.)
Note: the acronym WISE refers to Work Integration Social Enterprises or jobs-focused social enterprises, which exist to provide employment, or pathways to employment, for people who are disadvantaged in the labour market.
Ten takeaways
1. Further develop the national WISE support infrastructure
Proposal: Create a comprehensive ecosystem that enables WISEs to focus on impact rather than administration.
Individual WISEs cannot achieve their potential operating in isolation. The summit revealed consistent calls for infrastructure that enables enterprises to focus on employment outcomes rather than administrative burden.
2. Integrate WISEs into mainstream employment systems
Proposal: Position WISEs as a legitimate and systematically funded pathway within Australia’s employment support system, with proper integration into existing services.
Australia’s employment services system struggles to support people facing complex barriers. The summit revealed growing consensus that WISEs offer a proven alternative pathway – yet remain largely disconnected from mainstream programs and funding.
3. Enable cross-sector collaboration and innovation
Proposal: Strengthen approaches that multiply impact through strategic partnerships and collective action.
WISEs achieve greater impact through collaboration than competition. The summit revealed an appetite for ecosystem approaches that multiply individual efforts through strategic partnerships and collective action.
4. Embed First Nations self-determination and Indigenous-led approaches
Proposal: Ensure First Nations communities lead the design and delivery of employment solutions on their terms, grounded in culture and Country.
First Nations approaches to employment challenge conventional WISE models. The summit revealed how Indigenous-led enterprises demonstrate that sustainable employment requires cultural grounding, community control, and recognition that Country, culture, and economic participation are inseparable.
5. Reform procurement and market access
Proposal: Transform how governments and corporations buy to create sustainable revenue streams that value social impact alongside commercial delivery.
Social procurement promises substantial revenue for WISEs, yet the summit revealed a complex reality. Between opportunity and exploitation lies a landscape requiring careful navigation and systemic reform.
6. Build sector capability and resilience
Proposal: Strengthen capabilities to deliver quality employment outcomes.
The summit revealed a sector rich in passion but stretched thin on capacity. Building resilience requires systematic investment in leadership, commercial skills, and collective learning infrastructure.
7. Create cultures of wellbeing and sustainable workplaces
Proposal: Promote workplace models that demonstrate how supporting staff wellbeing drives both social impact and business sustainability.
The summit revealed a sector confronting an uncomfortable truth: organisations dedicated to supporting vulnerable people often struggle to support their own staff. Creating sustainable workplaces requires fundamental shifts in how WISEs approach wellbeing, boundaries, and organisational culture.
8. Secure enabling financing
Proposal: Build a mature investment ecosystem that provides appropriate capital for different WISE needs and growth stages.
Financial fragility undermines the WISE sector’s potential. The summit revealed enterprises trapped between mission and survival, with funding models that often work against rather than for their social objectives.
9. Develop transition pathways and employer partnerships
Proposal: Further build bridges between WISEs and mainstream employment that prepare both workers and workplaces for success.
The summit highlighted that successful employment outcomes depend not just on WISEs preparing participants but on mainstream employers being ready to receive them. Building effective bridges requires transformation on both sides.
10. Regulatory and policy reform
Proposal: Foster an enabling regulatory environment that recognises WISEs’ hybrid nature and removes barriers to their success.
WISEs operate in a regulatory no-man’s land. Neither purely commercial nor traditionally charitable, they navigate complex compliance requirements designed for entities they don’t resemble. The summit revealed how regulatory complexity drains resources and impedes innovation.
Next steps
As a next step, Social Enterprise Australia will use these insights to inform the ‘access to decent work’ stream of the national social enterprise strategy, guided by further input from the sector.
It’s important to note that these insights are just what was heard at the summit, a capture of different discussions and perspectives. They come with no filter and priorities have not yet been evaluated nor have competing ideas been worked through.
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