Remote work opens doors to people with disabilities
Did you know that about 10% of the world's population lives with a disability? For so long, people with disabilities were (and still are) excluded from the workforce simply because they have a disability.
Even if that disability was not a barrier to do the job, they were excluded the same because of a simple bias. Crazy, no? If the person has all the requirements for a position, why are companies not considering hiring them because they have a disability?
In developing countries, 80% to 90% of people with disabilities of working age are unemployed, whereas, in industrialised countries, the figure is between 50% and 70%.
The good news is that remote work is helping to change this! A new study found that the number of employees with disabilities participating in the workforce reached the highest rate in more than a decade this year. The proportion of workers with disabilities exceeded pre-pandemic levels by mid-2022, according to the researcher’s analysis. The growth of remote work combined with a tight labour market led to this new high.
“Employment rates among people with disabilities dropped, along with the rest of the labour market, early in the pandemic but recovered quickly. People with disabilities aged 25 to 54 were 3.5% more likely to be employed in Q2 2022 than they were pre-pandemic. That means the labour market recovery for those with disabilities was substantially faster than for those without disabilities, who are 1.1% less likely to be employed.
Yeah! Another win for remote work!
A remote culture will definitely help companies hire the best talent, and will help employees to find the jobs of their dreams, even if they have a disability that makes it very difficult for them to go to the office.
Companies like Meta — and many others — that offer remote work opportunities are seizing a competitive advantage by recruiting these underrepresented candidates and expanding their talent pool by 15%. The future belongs to the savvy companies that offer the flexibility that people with disabilities need. After all, extensive research shows that improving diversity boosts both decision-making and financial performance.
If you’re not a company the size of Meta — what can you do?
Firstly — focus on what the candidate CAN do. If they can do the job and actually they can do it very well., why would you lose time and energy analysing what they can't do?
Secondly — include in your job ads the possibility of asking for special accommodations if needed for any candidate with disabilities.
And lastly — go remote first and allow people to work where they work best. We’re not saying you need to abolish the office; just don't make it mandatory to attend.
And as a special edition, here are this week’s inclusive remote jobs!
Stay rebellious,
Michelle