Factors associated with willingness to work among unemployed persons with a disability in a large urban area: A short communication.

BACKGROUND

One of the reasons for the high unemployment amongst people with disability is a lack of knowledge on factors determining their employment. Factors associated with willingness and attitudes towards work have not been studied sufficiently amongst the general population of people with impaired functioning. Recognizing and improving attitudes to work and vocational rehabilitation may increase the employment rate of persons with disabilities.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the influence of some demographic factors on a willingness to work and an interest in vocational rehabilitation amongst unemployed persons with confirmed disability.

METHODS

Cross-sectional survey-based study amongst unemployed persons with disabilities in a large urban area. The sample consisted of 1 547 respondents with mostly mild or moderate disabilities. The multinomial logistic regression was used to obtain relative risk ratios (RRs) for different demographic characteristics of the sample.

RESULTS

An interest in vocational rehabilitation was significantly associated with older age (RR 1.36, 95% CI 1.2 to 1.5), lower disability grade (RR 1.30, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.60), and lower expectation of a desired salary (RR 0.77, 95% CI 0.67 to 0.88). Older age (RR 1.31, 95% CI 1.14 to 1.51) and more severe disability (reversed figure - RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.93) were associated with a delayed willingness to work.

CONCLUSIONS

Amongst unemployed persons with severe or moderate disabilities, a better willingness to work was mostly associated with younger age and milder disability severity. Older persons with less disabilities and realistic expectations of salary rate reported an interest in vocational rehabilitation more often.