Indigenous employment is a key priority in Australia’s pursuit of economic justice and equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Despite various policy efforts, including Closing the Gap Target 8—which aims to increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 25–64 who are employed —progress remains. At the same time, Australia’s labour market is fast evolving and expanding. Transcultural businesses, being those established and operated by culturally and racially diverse migrants are emerging as significant yet underexplored employers of Indigenous Australians.
This presentation shares preliminary insights from the literature and business data that maps current understandings of Indigenous employment, with a focus on participation in transcultural business contexts. While existing literature has often centred on mainstream labour force integration or Indigenous-led enterprises, little attention has been given to how Indigenous Australians are engaging with transcultural businesses that operate across non-Western cultural logics and values.
This work offers a new conceptual lens for understanding employment trends, proposing that transcultural business engagement represents a distinct and potentially generative space for Indigenous workforce participation. By bringing Indigenous and migrant experiences into relational view, this research invites further exploration of how employment can be shaped by shared aspirations for self-determination, mutual respect, and economic inclusion. In doing so, it highlights the need to move beyond inclusion rhetoric toward employment models that reflect the diverse ways Indigenous Australians contribute to, and thrive within, Australia’s evolving economic landscape.