For the first time, Australian organisations can capture standardised neurodiversity data about their workforce.
What’s happening: Diversity Council Australia has opened expressions of interest for its 2026-2027 Inclusive Employer Index, which this year introduces a new standardised question to establish baseline neurodiversity data across Australian workplaces for the first time.
Why this matters: Most Australian employers currently have no reliable way to understand the inclusion experiences of neurodivergent employees or the barriers they face at work. For business owners managing teams of any size, that is a significant blind spot.
Diversity Council Australia has opened expressions of interest for its 2026-2027 Inclusive Employer Index, with a significant addition this year. For the first time, the index will include a standardised question to establish baseline neurodiversity data across Australian workplaces, marking what DCA describes as an Australian first in understanding and improving workplace inclusion for neurodivergent employees.
Catherine Hunter, CEO of Diversity Council Australia, said the move addresses a long-standing gap in how Australian organisations understand their workforce. “An estimated 15 to 20% of people are neurodivergent, yet until now many organisations have lacked the tools they need to understand their employees’ experiences or the barriers they face at work,” Hunter said. “Capturing neurodiversity data safely and respectfully is a vital first step toward identifying and removing these barriers.”
The introduction of the neurodiversity question was informed by DCA’s newly released Neurodiversity Data at Work guide, developed through a national consultation involving nearly 3,000 participants, including more than 2,200 neurodivergent individuals as well as HR and diversity and inclusion practitioners.
For employers, the practical implication is straightforward. If one in five workers is neurodivergent and most organisations have never measured the inclusion experiences of those employees, they are making workforce decisions, including hiring, retention, management and team structure, without a significant piece of information about how their people actually experience their workplace.
Why neurodiversity data matters
The DCA Inclusive Employer Index is Australia’s only inclusion index run by an independent peak body, developed in partnership with Cultural Infusion. It enables organisations to measure, benchmark and strengthen their workplace inclusion efforts across ten diversity dimensions, including gender, race, disability, age and LGBTQ+ inclusion. The neurodiversity question adds an eleventh data point to that picture.
Hunter said building a truly inclusive workplace requires understanding the experiences of the people within it. “The Inclusive Employer Index provides organisations with powerful insights to help them identify strengths, address gaps, and make meaningful progress. With the introduction of neurodiversity data collection, we are setting a new standard for how organisations can understand and support all employees,” she said.
Insights from last year’s index showed that DCA member organisations are on average more inclusive, more likely to value having a diverse team and their employees are significantly less likely to face discrimination or harassment, according to DCA.
Organisations that participate receive insights into employees’ lived experiences of inclusion and exclusion, access to an interactive dashboard to explore workplace diversity and inclusion data, and comprehensive benchmarking against the national workforce, DCA members and industry peers where available. The index also includes the five employee experience questions required for the Workplace Gender Equality Agency’s Employer of Choice for Gender Equality Citation.
Hunter said with increasing expectations for transparency and meaningful action on inclusion, participating in the index is a strategic investment. “It allows employers to demonstrate genuine commitment and take evidence-based steps to create workplaces where everyone feels valued, respected, and able to perform at their best, which ultimately unlocks more productive, engaged and innovative workplaces,” she said.
Expressions of interest are open now and close on 14 August 2026. Organisations that register before 5 April 2026 are eligible for a 10 per cent early-bird discount, available to both DCA members and non-members.
Register your interest to participate in the 2026–2027 Inclusive Employer Index.
All details sourced from Diversity Council Australia. Commentary attributed to Catherine Hunter, CEO of Diversity Council Australia.
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