Neglected or Hidden: Connecting Employers and People with Disabilities in Canada.
The Canadian Abilities Foundation launched the Neglected or Hidden research project to determine why employment continues to be an elusive dream for tens of thousands of Canadians with disabilities.
In spite of a myriad of initiatives introduced by governments at all levels over the past twenty-five years, people with disabilities fare more poorly in Canada’s workforce than do their non-disabled counterparts.
Labour force participation rates are at 49% for people with disabilities, compared to 65% for the general population. Unemployment rates for people with disabilities are also close to 70% above the national average.
Particularly troubling to Canadians with disabilities and the organizations who serve them is the fact that many employers say they regularly face significant challenges finding appropriately trained workers to fill vacant positions.
The Foundation felt that a better understanding of the overall employment-related challenges facing people with disabilities, and how to overcome them, would positively influence their employment levels.
Employers would be able to tap into a new wealth of human capital, while increased employment would reduce the strain on the limited financial resources available to the community organizations that provide employment-related services to people with disabilities.
As a side benefit, governments would experience a reduced dependence on various “safety net” programs used by unemployed people with disabilities. Should savings in this are be passed along to taxpayers, they too would benefit from this increased employment.
The Foundation identified four key questions that if felt needed answers before employment levels amongst job seekers with disabilities would move in a positive direction:
How can employers more readily find the tens of thousands of people with disabilities who are presently seeking employment?
Why are people with disabilities not responding to employment solicitations, or even to offers of skills upgrading that would lead to virtually guaranteed employment?
3. Why are employers unable to attract qualified workers with disabilities?
4. Are solicitations targeting workers with disabilities reaching their mark, and if not, what needs to change?
The research project was conducted with both public and private sector partners and involved three distinct stakeholder groups:
For Labour Force Participants with Disabilities, the study sought participants who were employed or not employed but looking for work. Some 1,245 people with disabilities from all regions of the country responded to a comprehensive questionnaire containing both multiple choice and open-ended questions.
22% of respondents said they have a mild disability, 37% a moderate disability, and 41% indicated that they have a severe disability. Respondents represent all major disability types It is noteworthy that almost two-thirds of respondents had at least some post-secondary education or certification in a recognized trade.
For Community services providers, both telephone interviews and in-person consultations were conducted with close to 50 organizations that are primarily involved with helping people with disabilities find work.
Some 75 employers of varying sizes and from all regions of the country were asked to share their perspectives on employment and disability issues. Approximately two-thirds agreed to participate in the either telephone or in-person consultations.
The impact of disability on employment is significant. Over one-third of respondents became disabled during their adult working years. Of those who became disabled when they were in the work force, 69% were forced to make a career change as a result of the onset of their disability.
50% of the respondents became disabled during infancy or were disabled at birth, and the other 16% became disabled during their youth. The severity of their disability limits work options for close to 60% of the study’s respondents, including 73% of those with severe disabilities.
Employment will remain out of reach for many job seekers with disabilities unless workplace accommodations and / or flexible working conditions are available at the workplace.
For 70% of respondents, the nature of their disability requires that some workplace adjustments or accommodations be made in order for them to perform their work.
Notwithstanding, the cost of workplace accommodation is seen as relatively reasonable, with 52% of respondents estimating its annual cost to be less than $500. For four out of five respondents, full-time work is possible with suitable workplace accommodations.
Yet most employers interviewed had little experience with workplace accommodation and job modification techniques. They tended to perceive it as a costly measure, and acknowledged it to occasionally influence their hiring decisions.
They did agree, however, that training in this area would be beneficial to both existing workers and new recruits.
In terms of qualifications and preparation for employment, respondents without a university degree place a priority on more formal education. Overall, 39% of respondents agreed that they need more formal education to improve their qualifications and job prospects, however, 54% of those with only a high school education had a similar view.
In the last five years, 60% of respondents have taken part in training or an employment-related program lasting two or more weeks.
Rates of participation in training are highest for those who are under-employed – running at 68% for those working part-time, and 64% for those unemployed and looking for work. Respondents with more job turnover are also more likely to have taken work-related training.
Overall, 59% of respondents agreed that they need more practical training such as specialized courses or on-the-job training. However, more than two thirds of respondents who are unemployed and looking for work, who are aged 16 to 24, or who have only a high school education felt they needed more practical, work-related training.
Two-thirds of respondents think their qualifications are well matched for their preferred work, however, some 30% of working respondents did rate themselves as over-qualified for their current job.
Organizations that provide employment services for people with disabilities agree that job seekers with disabilities need to maximize their level of education, and the skills employers seek, if they wish to improve their employment prospects.
While they believe overall education levels are improving, these organizations say they are still challenged by a significant number of people with disabilities whose skills simply are not in demand. Unfortunately they have found that many of these individuals are also reluctant to build new skills, and are simply waiting for willing employers to step forward.
Most employers strongly emphasized their need to find the most qualified person for the job – regardless whether or not the applicant has a disability. They spoke of looking for the right skill set, yet concerns over productivity surfaced regularly when discussing qualifications.
Indeed, qualifications often appeared to be measured in terms of productivity rather than capability. In the view of many employers, people with disabilities need to be as productive as their non-disabled co-workers. If they are not, businesses operating in a particular sector may become less competitive than those which chose not to hire people with disabilities.
The Job Search. Many conventional job search tools and techniques such as job fairs, newspaper ads, and “cold calls” are not working and leave job seekers with disabilities frustrated and discouraged. Some have lost the initiative and motivation to look for work and these clearly need to be rekindled. Nevertheless, some approaches do work better than others.
The study revealed that workers with disabilities found their jobs most often through personal contacts, 24% of respondents, and with the assistance of service organizations, 20% of respondents.
Other important sources include newspaper ads (11%), competitions or job postings at their place of employment (9%), job postings at a government employment centre (8%), and the internet (7%).
The graph on this slide shows the top two sources for how respondents found their current job, and is recorded by the severity of their disability. For people with mild disabilities, 16% found their job through a friend or other personal contact and 33% found their job through a service organization.
For people with moderate disabilities, 25% found their job through a friend or other personal contact and 16% found their job through a service organization.
For people with severe disabilities, 30% found their job through a friend or other personal contact and 17% found their job through a service organization.
Clearly, employed respondents with a severe disability were almost twice as likely as someone with a mild disability to have had a friend tell them about the job, and only half as likely to have found their job with the help of an employment services organization.
The top information sources used by job seekers with disabilities are friends and personal contacts at 73%, and newspaper advertisements at 72%.
Other important sources of employment information used by a majority of the respondents looking for work are the internet at 66% of respondents, government-run employment centres at 59%, and employment counsellors at 53%.
Only 45% of respondents sought employment information from community organizations that provide employment services to people with disabilities.
This is a particularly important finding in view of the earlier slide which showed that these organizations have proven to be the second most effective job search approach for people with disabilities who are employed.
In the previous slide we looked at the top information sources used by disabled job seekers. In this slide we show how respondents rated ten sources of information or methods used in their job searches in terms of their usefulness.
The ratings are presented in descending order from the most useful to the least useful.
For friends and personal contacts, 48% rated them as useful, 33% as somewhat useful, and 19% as not useful.
For disability community organizations, 44% rated them as useful, 28% as somewhat useful, and 28% as not useful.
For the internet, 41% rated it as useful, 34% as somewhat useful, and 25% as not useful.
For employment counsellors, 38% rated them as useful, 30% as somewhat useful, and 32% as not useful.
For government employment centres, 29% rated them as useful, 32% as somewhat useful, and 39% as not useful.
For making cold calls to employers, 24% rated this method as useful, 31% as somewhat useful, and 45% as not useful.
For disability newspapers, 23% rated them as useful, 36% as somewhat useful, and 41% as not useful.
For newspaper advertisements, 22% rated them as useful, 41% as somewhat useful, and 37% as not useful.
For personnel agencies, 20% rated them as useful, 28% as somewhat useful, and 52% as not useful.
For job fairs, 14% rated them as useful, 26% as somewhat useful, and 60% as not useful.
Continuing on the job search theme, people with disabilities believe that employer attitudes have a significant influence on their employment outcomes. Some 45% of all respondents, including 71% of those unemployed, believe employers are reluctant to hire people with disabilities.
Approximately one-half felt employers were unwilling to accommodate the needs of workers with disabilities, and attributed a lack of flexible working conditions to their unemployment. While many employers expressed a willingness to hire people with disabilities,
they also acknowledged that people with disabilities likely have encountered their share of unreceptive employers, and consequently have developed a negative impression of employers in general.
The perceptions that most unemployed job seekers have of employers are not surprising since the majority of employers interviewed for the study had little experience with recruiting workers with disabilities or integrating them into their organizations.
Even though the majority of respondents with disabilities had some level of post secondary education, several employers admitted to looking upon people with disabilities as having very limited skills and abilities and, as such, had never considered them when addressing skills shortages.
Many employers also said they did not know where to find qualified workers with disabilities, but some seemed genuinely interested and would welcome the assistance. Few have taken the initiative to reach out to service providers and disabled job seekers.
Organizations serving job seekers with disabilities tended to agree that most employers needed to increase their awareness of disability issues and worker abilities, and to be more open to workplace accommodation practices.
Moving on to Successful Job Search Strategies, almost three-quarters of respondents think they have the skills required by employers. However, 45% reported that they lack enough practical work experience for successful employment, with the need most acute among the under-employed.
The attitudes of job seekers have an impact on the likelihood of their success at finding work. Only 66% of the study’s respondents agreed that they have always tried hard to find work. Almost half of all respondents, and 63% of those unemployed, also agreed that they have become discouraged about looking for work.
Organizations serving people with disabilities encouraged people with disabilities to focus on their abilities – not their disabilities; build a positive attitude; and make looking for work a full time job. Their experience indicates that those who were successfully employed, regardless of the nature or severity of their disability, had clearly taken charge of their personal situation.
While the internet did not figure large in past job searches, 77% of respondents indicated that they would be likely or somewhat likely to use major internet sites for job seekers in their future job search efforts.
Over half of all respondents indicated that they would like to work with counsellors who specialize in employment for people with disabilities. This percentage increases to 63% of those who are unemployed and looking for work.
Disability benefits and supports are a major disincentive to labour force participation. While just 20% of all respondents agreed they are reluctant to work because they could lose their disability benefits and supports, the potential loss of these benefits is a significant concern to respondents who are under-employed.
Some 25% of part-time workers and 48% of those who have been unemployed in recent years expressed these concerns. However, a surprising 61% of respondents indicated that an annual salary of $30,000 or less would be sufficient to entice them into the workforce and make up for their loss of disability benefits and supports.
Both employment services providers and those employers who were familiar with government disability benefit programs felt these programs were keeping people out of the workforce. In particular, they felt greater program flexibility would create incentives for people with disabilities to experiment with employment as long as they are not penalized if their attempts are unsuccessful.
This slide presents a graph showing respondents’ estimates about the annual salary they require to compensate for a loss of disability benefits and support. For all respondents, 38% said they require a salary of less than $25,000, 23% said $25,000 to $30,000, 14% said $30,000 to $35,000, 8% said $35,000 to $40,000, and 17% said more than $40,000.
Study participants were asked their opinions about the potential effectiveness of five different financial incentives aimed at reducing unemployment for people with disabilities. Their responses are depicted in the graph on this slide, and indicate the first and second choices combined.
The ratings are presented in descending order from the most effective to the least effective. A total of 61% identified financial incentives for employers as their first or second choice.
It is noteworthy that while the remaining four choices would provide direct personal benefit to the individual, the majority of respondents with disabilities were willing to forego personal gain just for the chance to work.
In terms of the remaining choices, 46% identified retention of pre-employment benefits; 37% identified financial incentives for workers; 29% identified the staged reduction in disability benefits; and 25% identified vouchers for the costs of support services as effective financial incentives for reducing unemployment.
The majority of organizations providing employment services, however, felt that success in this area depends not on financial incentives, but on motivation. Their experience suggests that financial hiring incentives only offer a short-term benefit and once depleted, jobs typically disappear.
To these organizations, an appropriate system of supports for both the disabled worker and employer is a key to successful employment outcomes.
Employers offered a broad spectrum of opinions on the subject of incentive programs. Some felt financial hiring incentives, particularly in a highly competitive industry sector, were important considerations while others felt these did not warrant the time and expense of administration.
Study participants were also asked for their views on various training options as a means of increasing the employment level for people with disabilities. Their responses appear in the graph on this slide with percentages indicating the first and second choices combined.
Given five choices, 56% of respondents with disabilities rated comprehensive training programs that are developed in cooperation with employers, and that assure employment for program graduates, as either the most or second most effective training option that would lead to increased employment.
A telling message for employers is revealed in the respondents’ next choice – a virtual tie between number two and three. Forty-four percent indicated that awareness training for employers that focuses on reducing discrimination and changing hiring practices would either be the most or second most effective training incentive.
In terms of the remaining choices: 45% identified job coaches; 29% identified training vouchers for employers; and 24% identified training vouchers for workers as their preferred options for increasing employment.
Employment services providers tended to agree that comprehensive skills training partnerships with employers are very effective at generating employment opportunities for people with disabilities. They also saw a need for employers to strengthen their awareness and understanding of the abilities and capabilities of workers with disabilities.
Apprenticeship programs, on-the-job training, and skills training partnerships all struck a chord with employers, as long as they focused specifically on employer needs.
Closing The Gap. Most respondents with disabilities expressed a genuine eagerness to be employed, and most want to work full-time. However, all stakeholders noted that improvements need to be made to the earliest stages of preparation for employment, including the intake and screening process.
Career counselling, for example, was seen to require more attention to employer needs and a better focus on where skills shortages exist. Both employment services providers and employers felt that many people with disabilities were not placing enough attention on career choices that would make them more competitive in the workforce.
Many respondents with disabilities and most employers felt that employment services providers needed to improve the effectiveness of their services. Interestingly, the service providers themselves were often their own harshest critics. They admitted to lacking job development skills and personnel, knowledge about employer needs and priorities, and how to build mutually beneficial relationships with employers.
Most services providers felt they are not known to employers and, consequently, needed to increase their public education efforts, establish or expand their networks, and develop many more relationships with employers. This situation was certainly confirmed by employers who seldom knew where to turn for advice and support on disability matters.
Given the complexity of disability, and the broad range of expertise needed by a full service organization, several service providers questioned whether it would be more appropriate for service providers to specialize in key areas.
When it comes to skills and experience, it seems many labour force participants with disabilities are getting training but not jobs. This discrepancy suggests that training may not always be appropriate, and that work experience is lacking. In order to close the gap between unemployment and work, disabled job seekers and employers both need to focus on enhancing their skills and experience.
People with disabilities need to ensure their training is employer-needs driven and to seek every opportunity to gain work experience. Employers, on the other hand, need to acquire skills in workplace accommodation and experience in employing people with disabilities in order to learn more about the abilities and capabilities of disabled workers.
Training is important when preparing to enter the workforce, but its value may be over-rated unless the training is practical and focused on the job.
Since the amount of training has not necessarily increased employment levels of respondents, the appropriateness of the training received or the counselling received in advance of the training need to be questioned. Regardless, the findings suggest that closer links are required between counsellors and training providers, and the employers who face skills shortages.
Work preparation should also directly involve employers, be comprehensive, and focus on skills shortage areas.
Successful job seekers found personal contacts, community employment services providers, the internet, and employment counsellors who specialize in serving job seekers with disabilities to be the most useful allies in their job search. Collectively, they hold the greatest promise for helping unemployed people with disabilities find jobs.
People with disabilities, employment services providers, and a good number of employers who took part in the Neglected or Hidden study are all looking for ideas on what they could do to enhance the employment of people with disabilities.
The following four slides present the more promising ideas and suggestions, for each stakeholder group, that emanated from the research participants. For Labour Force Participants with Disabilities, it was felt they need to:
Develop a better understanding of employer concerns, why they place such an emphasis on qualifications, and why it is important to self-identify.
Where skills need to be enhanced, seek access to training that directly involves employers, that is comprehensive, and that focuses on the skills shortages that face employers. Include components in “soft-skills”; job search techniques; interview skills; and understanding the competitive marketplace.
Forget past job search frustrations; focus on enhancing initiative and motivation.
Maximize internet use as a job search tool: visit employer web sites, study potential employers, prepare for employer contact, and so forth.
Link up with service providers who employ job developers, who have good employer contacts, and who have access to workplace support services.
The study’s participants also had five key suggestions for employers. They are:
Develop partnerships with community organizations that have the capacity to provide a one-stop-shop approach to employment referral and workplace support services for workers with disabilities.
Help expand the partnership by encouraging other organizations and employers to join.
Have qualified employment services providers or other experts provide training in workplace accommodation, adaptable workplaces, and other awareness issues.
Enable human resources professionals to become an in-house resource or on employment and disability issues for the organization.
Take the plunge! Hire a qualified worker with a disability and build receptiveness to the concept and more diversity to the workforce.
Seven key suggestions were put forward for services providers:
Assess whether your organization has the capacity to deliver a full range of quality employment preparation and referral services, or whether it should specialize in areas where it has the most expertise. Depending upon the findings, adjust the organization’s approach accordingly.
Partner with other service providers and employers on a one-stop-shop or coordinating agency approach to service delivery.
Encourage government to financially support partnerships with other organizations and employers to pilot test the one-stop-shop or coordinating agency approach to employment services delivery.
Ensure that counsellors are qualified to advise clients on such matters as skills shortage areas, employer expectations, and job demands.
Become familiar with employer needs and priorities, and how to build links and mutually beneficial relationships with them.
Ensure that job developers are on staff who know and understand employers, and are qualified and capable of building relationships and partnerships with them.
Refer only those candidates to employers who have the skill set and qualifications employers need. Entice new employer partners with top quality candidates to help them gain exposure to, and confidence in, employing people with disabilities.
The study did not seek input from government, however, they are seen as a key stakeholder by the majority of participants, and suggestions flowed from the study to specifically target government. They include:
Support employment services providers on new directions in service delivery including such matters as: employer and service provider partnership development; training on employer issues; approaches to job development; and workplace accommodation “how to” essentials.
Consult with employment services providers on more flexible rules and approaches to the administration of disability benefits and supports, and an elimination of the disincentives for people with disabilities to enter the workforce.
Explore options for the administration of benefit and support programs by key frontline NGOs as has been done with the likes of the Opportunities Fund and Employment Insurance-related programs.
Explore wage “top-up” measures for those individuals not fully independent or competitive in the workplace. Support for assistive devices that would not be required by workers without a disability should be included in the funding analysis.
Support the development of a focused employability awareness campaign that targets employers and enlists the participation and leadership of community organizations, labour force participants with disabilities, and employers.
The study suggests there is an incredible wealth of human potential in Canadians with disabilities, many thousands of whom have trades certificates and university degrees.
Their commitment and passion for employment and those assisting them is sound. And more than enough employers across the country have opened their minds and opened their doors to workers with disabilities. While still in a significant minority, these employers are demonstrating that the challenges workers with disabilities face are resolvable.
After all, some 800,000 people with disabilities are already employed in all sectors of the economy, but tens of thousands more are also waiting for the opportunity to do so.
Employers willing to provide jobs for people with disabilities have already discovered that there are many bottom-line reasons for building diversity into their workforce. They have found that a workplace culture that is more vibrant and diverse, brings with it new ideas and perspectives, and gives them a competitive edge.
In fact, those organizations that have instilled a broadly inclusive workplace culture claim it gives them access to the best workers available in a time of skills shortages. They also see such tangible returns as more informed and inclusive decisions, higher retention rates, less absenteeism, increased productivity, and an enhanced reputation as an employer of choice in the community.
Of course, increased employment for the group would also have the added benefit for the Canadian economy as a whole, by increasing the tax base and reducing the dependence on social safety nets.
As we proceeded with our research, always in the back of our minds was the question: had people with disabilities been abandoned or disused by employers, or had they been somehow out of sight and out of mind? Our research may have uncovered some truths on both sides of this question.
More importantly, however, we believe Neglected or Hidden has provided some important revelations on how to move beyond the questions and toward solutions. In the preceding pages we have brought together many promising ideas from the study’s participants.
Should each stakeholder act on even some of these ideas, we believe they will be well on their way to resolving the decades old problem of high unemployment facing people with disabilities across Canada.
Readers of Neglected or Hidden’s detailed Research Report have been asked to share their thoughts and ideas on the study’s findings. These will support the development of recommendations to stakeholders.
They are also likely to add value to some of the tools now under development for service providers and employers including: best practices in recruiting and securing employment for people with disabilities; “how-to” strategies on building effective relationships and networks between employers and organizations that help people with disabilities find work; and workplace accommodation strategies.
We encourage stakeholders to periodically visit the EnableLink web site where these tools, even more Neglected or Hidden research findings, and other useful documents will be posted as they are completed.