5 August 2022, Guardian Australia, Luke Henriques-Gomes. Access the full article here.
Emma Rayward says the surveys used by job agency Asuria made her feel ‘uncomfortable’ and took up most of her appointment
A jobseeker has questioned why her Workforce Australia provider made her complete an online personality test that asked how well she expressed love, whether she gives into temptation, and which judged if “spirituality” and “zest” were among her strengths.
Emma Rayward, 33, said she was told by her employment consultant to take the test at her first compulsory meeting with Asuria, which has more than $150m in job services contracts under Workforce Australia.
“She said … these personality tests were coming from Workforce Australia, which kind of indicated to me that this was something I needed to do,” Rayward said.
It felt really pointless, but also I didn’t understand it… And I felt uncomfortable and very weird about it.
– Emma, forced to complete bullshit survey
Especially with the questions about appreciation of beauty and spirituality. Like, one of them is ‘zest’. If I ‘approach life with excitement and energy’.
Employment services survey
The Punishment for Profit report is based on hundreds of responses to surveys conducted by the Antipoverty Centre. This research is ongoing. If you are in Workforce Australia, Disability Employment Services or a similar program, we welcome any information you are able to share about your experiences.