Work

Employer willingness to hire people with intellectual disability: The influence of employer experience, perception of work, and social responsibility

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: For people with intellectual disability (ID), competitive integrated employment (CIE) offers many important benefits, including opportunities for inclusion as well as enhanced mental health and quality of life. Yet, CIE outcomes for people with ID are low. One systemic issue that has not been completely studied is employer willingness to hire workers with ID. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to understand factors that effect employer willingness to hire people with ID, including employers’ personal experience with ID, corporate social responsibility, and perceptions of work performance. METHOD: This study was conducted in Norway and used a survey design to understand factors that contribute to employer willingness to hire. RESULTS: Four hundred seventy-eight employers responded to the survey. Our findings suggest that employers’ perception of work performance, corporate social responsibility, and prior experience hiring employees with ID are key predictors of willingness to hire. CONCLUSIONS: Supporting employers to gain experience with employees with ID in the workplace and understand the benefits of hiring employees with ID is a critical task in the endeavor to promote competitive integrated employment for people with ID.

Source: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation

DOI: 10.3233/jvr-221201

Authors: Evan E. Dean, Veerle Garrels, Hanne Marie Høybråten Sigstad, Christian Wendelborg

Institutions: University of Kansas, OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University, University of Oslo, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU Samfunnsforskning

Language: English

Topic: Disability Education and Employment

Subfield: Safety Research

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Decent work and economic growth, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,150