Over half of disabled workers in Canada are looking for a new job due to mistreatment
Published December 2, 2024 at 4:56 pm
New information has revealed that many Canadians with disabilities feel that the workplace landscape is not a safe environment, with over half of surveyed individuals now looking for new jobs.
Data revealed by KPMG, a Canadian advisory firm, noted that numerous Canadians with disabilities find their workplace to be a hostile environment — as 34 per cent of respondents noted that they do not feel safe disclosing their disability to others.
Operating in lockstep with this observation, 60 per cent of surveyed disabled Canadians indicated that they are looking for work elsewhere due to discomfort in their current position.
An additional 60 per cent of respondents also noted that they are being egregiously underutilized in their workplace due to perceived limitations of their skills.
As a byproduct of this concerning trend in workplace ableism, KPMG broke down the exact details of what is being observed.
According to KPMG’s data:
- 58 per cent of respondents personally experienced acts of ableism.
- 50 per cent witnessed acts of ableism against one or more colleagues.
“This should be a wake-up call for organizations to take a much closer look at their workplace culture, as well as at policies and practices to build a respectful and inclusive work environment for people with apparent and non-apparent disabilities. Otherwise, they risk losing top talent,” said Rob Davis, Chief Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Officer at KPMG in the report.
Additional findings found that 68 per cent of people with disabilities feel they have to work twice as hard to be valued and recognized in the same standing as their colleagues — with four in 10 respondents noting that their work is attempting to change this standard.
As for how Canadians with disabilities are being mistreated, Lisa Park, a director with KPMG noted that “barriers can manifest in various forms, including physical obstacles in the workplace, inadequate access to assistive technologies, and a lack of inclusive hiring practices. Additionally, societal attitudes and misconceptions about disabilities often lead to discrimination and exclusion, further limiting opportunities for these talented individuals. “
As for solutions, numerous respondents in KPMG’s survey noted that solutions are fairly clear.
- 58 per cent of respondents want to see an open trust network between employers and employees with disabilities.
- 46 per cent of respondents want to see tools readily available to help workers with disabilities on workplace premises.
- 45 per cent of respondents want to see visible barriers for Canadians with disabilities removed.
Despite the overall median of only half of respondents demanding change in numerous aspects of the Canadian workplace, when it comes to solutions, leadership is one thing most agreed on, as a staggering 80 per cent of surveyed Canadians noted that more representation of persons with disabilities in leadership positions is needed.
For more information on this report, visit KPMG’s official website.
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