Identification Of Skills Gaps Among Persons With Disabilities And Their Employment Prospects

Abstract

In 2013, the Irish Government published its National Disability Strategy Implementation Plan 2013-2015. As part of this strategy, a number of goals were set around participation, including job access for people with disabilities. This specific objective recommended a number of actions, including the commitment to publish a comprehensive employment strategy (CES) for people with disabilities. This strategy, the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities, was published in 2015 for the period 2015-2024. The objective of this strategy, which is cross-governmental, is to support people with disabilities in accessing the labour market. Building on existing actions in the CES, the National Disability Authority (NDA) commissioned the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) to undertake quantitative research into the workplace skills and abilities of persons with disabilities. To undertake this research, a number of nationally representative data sources were utilised to characterise the skills/educational endowments and gaps among persons with disabilities compared to those without. Specifically, data from the Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC), the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), the Census of Population, and the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) were examined. Where the data permitted, we differentiated those with a disability by type, everyday difficulties (e.g. difficulty dressing), and/or severity level. We also examined the employment characteristics of people with disabilities compared to persons without, and investigated the impact of having a disability on an individual’s employment prospects. What follows is a summary of the principal findings from this research, including some discussion on future directions.

The impact of Irish budgetary policy by disability status

“…Irish research has consistently shown that households affected by disability tend to have substantially higher poverty rates (Gannon and Nolan, 2007) alongside a significantly lower standard of living (Cullinan et al, 2011). Kelly and Maître (2021) confirm that this is also true in other European countries.…”

“…It is important to bear in mind that barriers to work aside from ill health, including the accessibility of workplaces and transport and the potential loss of welfare, may provide significant disincentives to work. Kelly and Maître (2021) report that, Figures differed slightly depending on the data source used. However, the authors conclude that rates of disability have been stable over time, regardless of the data source used.…”

“…The proportion of the working age population with a disability in Ireland has been stable over the last number of years. Kelly and Maître (2021) estimated that 13 per cent of the working age population had a disability in 2019, slightly down from 15 per cent in 2004. 1 From an international perspective, Ireland had the fifth lowest prevalence of disability across the EU28 in 2018.…”

Headline Poverty Target Reduction in Ireland and the Role of Work and Social Welfare

“…While the purpose of the report was not to identify the range of policy actions that would increase labour market participation, there is an extensive body of evidence showing the importance of supports such as childcare supports, adult care supports, education, training, pre-employment and job supports for those that are currently excluded (Byrne & Murray, 2017;Kelly & Maître, 2021;Millar & Crosse 2016).…”

“…It is beyond the scope of the current analyses to identify the range of policy mechanisms that would be needed to increase labour market participation and earnings in the way that was simulated. This would require very significant investments in childcare supports, adult care supports, education, training, pre-employment and job supports for those that are currently excluded (Byrne & Murphy, 2017;Kelly & Maître, 2021;Millar & Crosse 2016). 45 Other reforms to stimulate greater participation include changes to the income taxation system, which is currently part-individual and part-joint (Doorley, 2018), and more generous taper rates of welfare payments (Bargain & Doorley, 2017).…”