Employer Perspectives Toward Hiring and Retaining Individuals with Disabilities: A National Survey of Entry-Level Employers

Background Finding and maintaining employment is a critical need for individuals with disabilities (IWD) and employers’ attitudes toward IWD is a factor in employment rates. Objective The study purpose was to better understand perspectives of employers toward hiring and retaining IWD and to compare findings pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic. Methods The researchers developed a survey comprised of questions targeting the hiring practices of employers toward IWD. The survey contained three sections (i.e., demographics, business practices, and skill assessment) and was deployed in two separate waves (i.e., pre-pandemic [survey 1] and post-pandemic [survey 2]). Results Employers reported that since the pandemic they have seen an increase in hiring difficulty and while employment of IWD is lower, employers have significantly higher rates of recent hiring and active recruitment of IWD. Mentoring, training, and flexible work schedules were strategies noted by employers as useful in hiring, retaining, and advancing IWD, and employers noted that “basic skills” were generally considered most important. Finally, employers facing labor shortages were more likely to hire or be willing to hire IWD. Conclusion Findings indicate that while IWD face multiple employment barriers the post-pandemic labor shortages seem to have created expanded employment opportunities and trends indicate an increased willingness of employers to hire and support IWD in varied settings.