Disability in the workplace

Abstract

wo main reasons underlie the increasing interest in the labour market participation of individuals with disabilities. One stems from employment equity and human rights legislation, which ensures access to the labour market for those with disabilities. Examining differences in labour force par- ticipation, education, and occupation and industry pro- files may allow governments and employers to better target programs and policies for these individuals. A second and equally important reason is to deter- mine how to include more individuals with disabilities in the labour force. This is motivated by the concern that shortages of labour and skilled workers will de- velop as a result of an aging population. One possible way to alleviate this impending shortage is to maxi- mize the participation of those with disabilities. The 2001 Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS) provides insight into how these issues are being addressed (see Data source and definitions). This article examines the types and severity of disabilities experienced by those aged 15 to 64 in the labour force. It also com- pares their educational attainment, the types of occupations and indus- tries they work in, and their income with those of the non-disabled population. Also examined are job and workplace modifications that have been put in place by employ- ers. Finally, the potential additional labour supply is investigated by examining characteristics of people with disabilities who are not in the labour force, looking at types of modifications that would enable them to enter the labour market. People with disabilities in the labour market Excluding those in institutions, in 2001 some 2.0 mil- lion Canadians (10%) between the ages of 15 and 64 lived with some type of disability. Roughly 45% were in the labour force, compared with almost 80% of the non-disabled population. Just under 820,000 persons with disabilities were employed while the remaining 98,000 in the labour force were unemployed. This unemployment rate of 10.7% was much higher than the 7.1% in the non-disabled population (Table 1). For the 2001 PALS, an index of disability severity was constructed based on the reported intensity and fre- quency of the limitation. Not surprisingly, labour force participation is inversely related to disability severity. The overall participation rate for those with a disabil- ity was about 45%. The rate was substantially higher for those with only a mild disability (63%), falling to only 28% for those with a severe or a very severe