Josh Bersin 发文分析残障劳动者就业与工资差距

Today I want to celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, an important day that recognizes the needs of millions of people. My perspective, as a professional entering my later years, is that many of us are likely to have disabilities over time, so the more we understand the diversity of disabilities the better for everyone.

First, let me point out that this is a massive population. The US Department of Labor and Census estimates that 11-13% of the working age population has some form of disability (more on what that means below), yet only 5-6% of workers. This points out that the employment ratio (percent of people with jobs) is far lower. People with disabilities are one-third as likely to have a job, which is quite a disparity and loss of economic potential.

Second, people with disabilities suffer a 15% lower average wage. Research done by the International Labour Organization and World Health Organization show that disabled workers make 12% lower wages (adjusted for work output and productivity) in developed countries and 26% less in less developed countries. They posit that this is caused by discrimination as well as the lack of jobs available for disabled people in general.

Third, there are a myriad of disabilities people face.

Many disabilities are visible, but many are not. People who suffer from anxiety, OCD, dyslexia, autism, ADHD, and many other mental or neurological issues have subtle issues. They may have problems with open floor plans, noise, and unwritten social codes, again leading to 30-40% higher levels of unemployment.

Fourth, AI may be our friend or enemy. Resume screening, assessments, and other selection tools have to be adjusted for these issues. On the other hand, tools like the Microsoft Copilot are revolutionary, and all our tools for captioning, note-taking, and automatic audio recording are helpful. We, as HR professionals, just have to remember that upwards of 10% of our candidates or employees may have these issues.

Even programs like “Return to Office” and “productivity programs” may need to be adjusted, and I know most HR teams are well aware of this issue but I just want to point it out.

In general, most companies (driven to some degree by legislation) work very diligently to consider disabilities in their work practices. In some cases we think of it as an “accommodation” but rather I prefer to think of this as a topic of inclusion. If we just assume that all people add value in unique ways it’s much easier to ignore specific disabilities and just treat people as peers and partners at work.

From a financial standpoint many companies have learned that taking this topic seriously pays off. Not only is there a huge market for customers (I just recently listened to a startup explain that more than 10% of all food packaging is not usable or “openable” by disabled consumers), there are billions of dollars of workforce productivity left behind by the gap in employment.

Let me conclude with this. While many of us never think about this topic unless we have a disabled relative or friend, the reality is that many of us will become disabled later in life. And once this takes place we suddenly become starkly aware and sympathetic to the 12% or more of people who face these challenges every day.

I simply want to celebrate this day and give you all a chance to think about this in your work, and I encourage you to read more if you’re interested.

To help myself and others understand the topic, I spent several hours this week doing research and this report summarizes what Google Gemini could do to put the entire topic into economic and business perspective.

If you have programs, ideas, or stories to share please contact me or our team, I’d like to make sure we’re covering this well in all our research and advisory support around the world.

Additional Information

UN Celebrates International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Instagram Montage of Day of Persons with Disabilities