Handout: ILO Perspective: Reasons for Low Employment Rates for Persons with Disabilities

Based on reviews undertaken by the International Labour Organization, reasons given for low employment rates among persons with disabilities include:

Negative stereotypes about a person’s ability
Fears of degenerative illness and time off
Fears of negative attitudes of other staff or customers
Concerns about low productivity rates
Lack of job adjustment
Lack of positive attitude to people with disabilities
Low levels of education and training
Declining demand for unskilled labour
Reductions in the workforce of large enterprises and the public service
Concern about accidents and insurance costs
Reluctance of individuals to register as having a disability
Lack of information on work opportunities
Lack of disability-sensitive teaching staff and inaccessibility of teaching material and methods compound exclusion from educational achievement
Lack of awareness among employers of needs and abilities of persons with disabilities
“Benefits trap” - a situation in which an individual is financially better off staying on benefits, where they exist, than taking a job, taking into account all the financial implications;
Fear of losing welfare benefits
Discouragement due to experiences of failure in obtaining jobs and/or internalized negative images
Lack of exposure to positive role models and mentors
Inadequate technical/personal support
No legislation to protect people with disabilities against employment discrimination