R/N x 100

where R = number of disability employment service users aged 15–64 years in the DS NMDS during the reporting period and N = estimated potential population on 30 June at the start of the reporting period.

For measures disaggregated by need for assistance in life area, N = the state/territory total of the number of service users in the reporting period.

Measure c(2i): Number of users of open employment services aged 15-64 years in the reporting period.

Measure c(2ii): Number of users of supported employment services aged 15-64 years in the reporting period.

Estimated potential population for employment services (people aged 15-64 years with profound or severe core activity limitation) on 30 June at start of reporting period.

Potential population will be calculated by applying age-sex specific rates of severe/profound core activity limitation (from the Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC)) to the 30 June 2008 Estimated Residential Population by state/territory by age group by sex. No Indigenous weight or scaling factor is used.

National level age-sex rates, rather than state/territory-age-sex rates have been used previously due to the high sampling errors associated with some of the state/territory-age-sex rate estimates in SDAC 2003 and previous iterations of the survey.  If rates are used from SDAC 2009 to calculate the potential population it is most likely that national age-sex rates will be again utilised due to timing restrictions.  Once the SDAC 2009 CURF data are available, the AIHW will investigate the possibility of using state/territory data.

The method used to calculate the country of birth and remoteness disaggregations will be the same as that adopted by the Disability Services Working Group for calculation of special needs group indicators in the Report on Government Services 2010. This method incorporates 2006 Census data for comparing population groups.

Measures disaggregated by need for assistance in life area will not use potential population as the denominator.  The denominator for these measures will be the state/territory total of the number of service users in the reporting period.

For measure c(2i) (service type 5.01) and measure c(2ii) (service type 5.02):

• State/territory by sex (male, female, total) by age group (15–24, 25–34, 35–44,45–54, 55–64 years, total)
• Country of birth (Australia, other English speaking countries, all English speaking countries, non-English speaking countries, total)
• Remoteness Area (Major Cities, Inner Regional, other, total)
• State/territory by need for assistance (activities of daily living, activities of independent living or work, education or community but not activities of daily living, total needing assistance, no need for help or supervision, level of assistance not determined, total)
  

Rates of severe/profound core activity limitation from the SDAC will be used in the calculation of the denominator. SDAC 2003 is the latest available source for these data. Previous investigations have shown that these rates are stable over time.

AIHW to produce indicators

The AIHW will conduct and investigation into the feasibility and data quality of attaching SEIFA to the DS NMDS.

Once CURF data are available from SDAC 2009, the AIHW will investigate the possibility of using state/territory-age-sex rates of severe/profound core activity limitation and disability for the calculation of the potential population.

Classifications proposed above are appropriate for the current CSTDA/DS NMDS. Classifications will need to be reviewed in line with any future changes to the NMDS.

Available disaggregation depends on sampling errors and other caveats. Cells with numerator counts less than 5 will be suppressed.

For measure c(1) people with age reported in the range 0 to 64 years and people with ‘not stated’ age are included in calculations for this indicator. For measure c(2i) and c(2ii), people with age reported in the range 15 to 64 years only are included in calculations. People with age reported to be 65 years or older are not included.

Treatment of ‘not stated’ values within disaggregations (numerator only):

For measure c(1):

• Age group: Total includes people with ‘not stated’ age.

For measures c(2i) and c(2ii):

• Age group: Only people with known age will be included.

For all measures:

• Sex: Total includes people with ‘not stated’ sex.
• Country of birth: Other English speaking countries is the subtotal of Australia and other English speaking countries. Total includes people with ‘not stated’ country of birth.
• Remoteness: Outer Regional, Remote includes Outer Regional, Remote and Very Remote. Total includes people where remoteness area cannot be determined.
• Need for assistance: Total needing assistance includes need for assistance in activities of daily living, activities of independent living and activities of work, education or community. Total includes service users with level of assistance not determined.

Caution is recommended in the use or interpretation of performance at service group level.  There is a risk when the service group level data is interpreted in isolation as various service groups are complementary and the emphasis on differenct services reflects jurisdictional policy directions.  potential population estimates in these tables are not necessarily specific to the individual service group.