How do we help lift our fellow human beings, especially those in need? When we talk about the human services sector, most people automatically think about people serving people, but most of us aren’t aware of what it is or realise the true value of the sector to our state.
 
Human services cover a diverse range of industries including health, aged care, community, disability, education services, social housing and prisons, delivered by both government and private providers. The human services sector provides support for people who are vulnerable or in times of crisis, with professionals helping people navigate through health challenges or chronic situations where the person needs guidance with their issues or to reach their potential. This may include services which help them find stability, with a disability, counselling, treatment or end of life care.

While we tend to focus on our most vulnerable people when we consider the human services sector, we often forget that it’s South Australia’s largest employment growth industry with forecasted growth of 14.9 per cent over the five years to 2023 and it contributes approximately 9 per cent to our Gross State Product - more than manufacturing, agriculture or construction. More jobs are being created in the health and human services sectors than any other.
 
Many of the private providers in the sector are not-for-profit and charitable organisations that are also very much businesses in their own right.
 
When we consider organisations such as Anglicare, Uniting Communities, ParaQuad or the Hutt Street Centre, we don’t often think of businesses employing large numbers of staff, generating significant investment. Human services not-for-profits in South Australia employ more than 45,000 people, have another 55,000 volunteers and turnover close to a staggering $3.8 billion, all while helping South Australians around us.
 
Business SA has been working on a discussion paper called Human Touch, to be released this week. We’ve outlined growth opportunities in the sector, highlighted innovative practices and told the stories of people who work to help others improve their lives. 
 
Many of these people work in different industries - whether it be as plan managers or coordinators for home care services, or as carers. As well as the traditional human services roles such as nursing or as therapists, there are jobs in finance, research, marketing and management. Others have started from scratch and found a niche by harnessing technology to connect people, or by creating innovative services. The human sources sector is also a catalyst for many social entrepreneurs. Running a business in the sector is about employing people and managing operations, without necessarily having to provide hands-on therapy. The opportunities to help others in new ways are also bountiful. 
 
There are massive opportunities for South Australia to be a national leader in best-practice employment conditions, and in setting us on an innovative path toward creating new models of care. We also want to highlight that there are careers which can be fulfilling and rewarding, which don’t necessarily need a university degree. The common thread is a desire to make a difference, to help people up when they cannot lift themselves.  

This article was originally published in the South Australian Business Journal on Tuesday 13 August 2019.

Anthony Penney is executive director of industry and government engagement at Business SA.