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BC is facing a labour shortage with approximately 861,000 expected job openings by the year 2029 ¹. There are 614,630 British Columbians ages 15-64 that have a disability ².

People with disabilities represent an important talent pool that is largely untapped.

There are many benefits to hiring people with disabilities including:

1. Improved Productivity ³ – Research shows that diverse and inclusive workplaces are:
   • 2x more likely to meet or exceed financial targets.
   • 6x more likely to be innovative.
   • 6x more likely to effectively anticipate change.
2. People with Disabilities Make Great Employees ⁴ – Among employees with disabilities:
   • Staff retention was 72% higher.
   • 86% had average or better attendance.
   • 90% performed equal or better than their coworkers without disabilities.
3. Expanded Consumer Reach
   • The spending power of people with disabilities is over $55 billion dollars ⁵.
   • 90% of consumers prefer to engage with companies that hire people with disabilities ⁶.

For companies interested in gaining a competitive advantage, the business case for hiring people with disabilities is important to know. Hiring inclusively is just good for business.

Sources:

1. BC Government. (2019) BC Labour Market Outlook 2019
2. Statistics Canada. (2018) Canadian Survey on Disability 2017
3. PR Newswire. (2017) New Deloitte Research Identifies Keys to Creating Fair and Inclusive Organizations
4. Deloitte. (2017) The road to inclusion: Integrating people with disabilities into the workplace.
5. Donovan, R. (2016) Return on Disability: Translate Different Into Value, 2016 Annual Report: The Global Economics of Disability
6. BC Government. (2016) September is Disability Employment Month in B.C.

*Update:

On November 28 2018, Statistics Canada released the results from the 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD). These updated statistics (when comparing to the findings in 2012) now include mental health-related cognitive disabilities and seniors. Looking at these numbers further:

• 926,100 British Columbians 15+ have a disability, or 24.7% of the population.
• 614,630 working-age British Columbians (15-64) have a disability, or 20.5% of the population. (This was the seventh highest rate of disability in Canada, but was still above the national average of 18.8%.)

Although the 2017 CSD shows better employment outcomes than the 2012 CSD, Persons with disabilities still face challenges when it comes to employment:

• The employment rate for persons with disabilities (25 to 64) in British Columbia was 60.4%, compared to 80.3% for those without a disability.
• Four other provinces have higher employment rates than B.C., led by Alberta (66.3%) and Saskatchewan (65.9%).