Abstract / Description
Persons with disabilities are an underappreciated source of workers in the Canadian economy, especially among skilled trades, where only 13.8% of workers identify as a person with a disability. This survey of skilled trades companies across Canada aimed to understand the barriers and informational needs that prevent companies from implementing equitable employment practices.
A cross-sectional, quantitative survey was distributed to eligible companies to elicit insights related to current worker demographics and readiness to provide accommodations for workers. Multivariable logistic regression models were fit to assess differences in accommodation readiness for various impairment types.
Most respondents reported their companies were unprepared to accommodate vision impairments (85%) and mobility impairments (79%). When controlling for province and company size, construction sector companies were significantly less prepared to accommodate mobility impairments (OR=0.316; p=0.047) and hearing impairments (OR=0.202; p=0.003) compared to other skilled trades sectors. Larger companies were significantly more prepared to accommodate mobility (OR= 3.771, p=0.043) and learning (OR= 5.425, p=0.002) impairments.
Overall, findings indicate that many Canadian skilled trades companies remain insufficiently prepared to accommodate several impairment types or implement common accommodations for employees with disabilities. This work will provide foundational evidence for future assessments aimed at identifying factors that improve organizational capacity to meaningfully, purposefully, and equitably integrate persons with disabilities into the skilled trades workforce in Canada.