Unleashing the Employment Potential of Persons with Disabilities

Persons with disabilities represent a largely overlooked workforce in Manitoba. Of the 87,120 Manitobans with disabilities between the ages of 15 and 64, a full 35,000 are either unemployed or are not actively seeking paid employment. Thousand more are underemployed. That is an incredible waste of human and economic potential.

Research shows that persons with disabilities are work-competent, reliable, and hard-working individuals. Research also demonstrates that accommodations provided to employees with disabilities typically cost little or nothing while contributing to higher staff retention, increased productivity and improved organizational culture and climate.

The accessible employment standard under The Accessibility for Manitobans Act, if effective will help remove many of the employment barriers faced by persons with disabilities. However, nationally and internationally we’ve seen that these standards alone aren’t enough. That’s because:

With a significant labour shortage forecast in Manitoba in the decades ahead, government needs to provide stronger leadership to realize the employment potential of persons with disabilities.