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Advancing the Inclusion of People with Disabilities 2009

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Chapter 3: Employment

This chapter examines employment among working-age adults with disabilities. Since employment is linked to higher levels of income and to many measures of quality of life, it is an important indicator of inclusion. Employment also provides opportunities for interaction with others in the community: unpaid work / volunteering can serve a similar role. This chapter explores changes between 2001 and 2006 using the following indicators: employment rates, year-round employment employed all year, workplace accommodations and unpaid work / volunteering.

Labour force attachment and the employment rate for people with disabilities both increased during the period of economic growth between 2001 and 2006, and larger growth occurred among people with disabilities than among people without disabilities. During the same period, there was a significant increase in year-round full-time employment, particularly for women with disabilities. However, across all of these measures, people without disabilities continue to have stronger labour force attachment than people with disabilities.

Employment rate

Between 2001 and 2006, the employment rate for working-age Canadians with disabilities increased from 49.3% to 53.5%. In comparison, the employment rate for working-age Canadians without disabilities increased from 73.8% to 75.1% over the same period.

Adults with disabilities are more likely than adults without disabilities to not participate in the labour force. There are many reasons why adults with disabilities are underrepresented in the labour force. Some are physically unable to work due to their condition; others have left the labour force after facing barriers such as inaccessible workplaces or unsupportive work environments; and still others have voluntarily left the workplace to care for children or enter retirement.

The employment rate for women with disabilities is 52.1%; the employment rate for men with disabilities is 55.5%. This gap is much smaller than the gender gap seen among men and women without disabilities.

Chart 3.1 — Employment rates for men and women with and without disabilities, 2006

Disability status	Number	Employment Rate
With disabilities
Both genders	1 250 720	53.5
Men	617 160	55.5
Women	633 560	52.1
Without disabilities
Both genders	14 069 780	75.1
Men	7 440 200	80.2
Women	6 629 590	70.1

1. The table uses 2006 data that is comparable to 2001 data.
2. Applicable to adults 15 to 64 years of age only.
3. Age-standardized employment rates.

Source: Participation and Activity Limitation Survey, 2006.

Employment rates also vary by types of limitations. In 2006, working-age adults with hearing disabilities had the highest employment rate (57.7%), this rate increased from 53.1% in 2001. Working-age adults with learning disabilities experienced the largest increase in employment rate between 2001 and 2006 (from 32.5% in 2001 to 41.8% in 2006).

Year-round employment

Employment stability is an important indicator of quality of life. Year-round full-time work can provide income stability for people with and without disabilities. In 2006, the majority of working-age adults with disabilities who participated in the labour force were employed full time year-round.

Among working-age adults with disabilities who are employed, just over half (54.7%) are employed full time year-round; three out of ten (28.0%) are employed full time but only part of the year; and one out of ten (10.2%) is employed part time year-round.

While men with disabilities remain more likely to have year-round full-time year-round employment than women with disabilities, women experienced more growth in this area between 2001 and 2006; the number of women with year-round full-time year-round employment increased from 200 490 to 313 510, while the number of men increased from 289 100 to 371 100.

Employed working-age adults with more severe disabilities are less likely to work full time year-round: 57.9% of those with mild to moderate disabilities were employed full time year-round, compared to 46.8% of those with severe to very severe disabilities. Since 2001, this number has increased for people with mild to moderate disabilities (from 55.2%), but has decreased for people with severe to very severe disabilities (from 49.7%).

Workplace accommodations

Workplace accessibility and accommodations are important measures of inclusion in the workforce. Inadequate supports in the workplace create barriers to employment for people with disabilities. Lack of necessary supports can cause people to completely withdraw from the labour force, struggle with unemployment, or work in jobs that do not match their interests, skill sets and abilities. To create a workplace environment that is fully inclusive and equitable, employers must provide accommodations to current and prospective employees with disabilities.

In 2006, 207 580 employed working-age adults with disabilities required resource-specific accommodations and 270 920 required physical/structural changes to their workplace environments. The number of people who required resource-specific accommodations decreased between 2001 and 2006. However, the number of people who required structural modifications increased by more than 160 000.

In 2006, 70.2% of employed working-age adults with disabilities with requirements had all of their resource-specific workplace modification needs met, compared to 79.9% in 2001. In contrast, 49.1% of those with physical/structural modification requirements indicated that all of their needs were met in 2006, a decrease from 76.1% in 2001.

People with severe to very severe disabilities are more likely to require physical/structural changes to the workplace (40.3%) than resource-specific modifications (24.5%). People with severe to very severe disabilities with requirements are more likely to have no physical/structural workplace modification needs met (48.3%) than those with mild to moderate disabilities (31.0%). This represents a shift from 2001, when 73.2% of people with severe to very severe disabilities with requirements had their physical/structural needs fully met and only 17.2% had unmet needs.

Chart 3.2 — Level of met needs for physical/structural workplace accommodations by severity of disability, 2001 and 2006

Needs met	2001				2006
	Mild to Moderate		Severe to Very Severe		Mild to Moderate		Severe to Very Severe
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Total with needs	56 080	100.0	53 600	100.0	127 820	100.0	143 100	100.0
All needs met	44 240	78.9	39 210	73.2	83 000	64.9	49 980	34.9
Some needs met	3 840	6.8	5 190	9.7	5 200	4.1	23 950	16.7
No needs met	8 000	14.3	9 200	17.2	39 620	31.0	69 170	48.3

1. The table uses 2006 data that is comparable to 2001 data.
2. The sum of values for each category may differ from the total due to rounding.
3. Applicable to adults 15 to 64 years of age only.

Source: Participation and Activity Limitation Survey, 2001 and 2006.

Women with disabilities were more likely than men to have their workplace accommodations needs met, whether these needs were resource-specific or physical/structural. In 2006, 20.4% of men with disabilities did not have any of their resource-specific needs met and 43.8% did not have any of their physical/structural modification needs met. This gap has increased significantly since 2001, when 17.9% of men indicated that they had no structural needs met. Of women with disabilities, 27.9% indicated that they had no structural needs met in 2006, compared to 14.4% in 2001.

Unpaid employment / volunteering (working-age adults and seniors)

Volunteering is not only a means by which people can participate in their communities; it also provides opportunities for developing employment-related skills. Over one quarter (25.7%) of adults with disabilities (age 15 and over) devote time to volunteering. However, this is a decrease from 2001, when almost a third (32.7%) of adults with disabilities volunteered. Although there was a drop across all age groups, the largest drop was among youth (age 15 to 24).

Working-age adults are more likely to volunteer than seniors: 30.3% of working-age adults with disabilities volunteer, compared to only 19.2% of seniors. Working-age women are more likely to volunteer than working-age men, but among seniors, men and women volunteer at the same rate.

Chart 3.3 — Rates of volunteering or unpaid work by age, 2001 and 2006

1. The chart uses 2006 data that is comparable to 2001 data.
2. The sum of the values for each category may differ from the total due to rounding.
3. Applicable to adults 15 years of age and over.

Source: Participation and Activity Limitation Survey, 2001 and 2006.

[Chart 3.3 Description …]

Adults with less severe disabilities are more likely to volunteer than adults with more severe disabilities (30.8% versus 17.9%), but rates of volunteering for both groups have decreased since 2001 (from 37.8% and 25.3% respectively). This decrease was most apparent among youth with severe disabilities, where the drop (from 38.6% to 20.9%) was larger than that for youth with mild or moderate disabilities (from 43.4% to 32.2%).

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Date Modified:

2011-08-06