The relationship between job search skills and employability for persons with mild mental retardation

Persons with mental retardation who possess applicable adaptive skills are usually able to obtain jobs in labor markets. However, some persons who show high scores with social and prevocational skills are unable to obtain jobs and the reasons for their unemployability are unknown. Twelve subjects with mild retardation who failed to obtain jobs were evaluated for their social and prevocational skills at the Tokyo Metropolitan Rehabilitation Center for the Physically and Mentally Handicapped. The evaluation was performed using the Social and Prevocational Information Battery-Revised which was developed by Halpen and Irvin. The results showed 12 subjects presented lower scores either in the Job Search Skills area or in other areas in spite of their high scores on the Total Battery. Moreover, these subjects also showed behavior problems. The study suggests that those with high scores on the Total Battery, but low scores in Job Search Skills, show a tendency to fail to obtain a job in competitive job placement. It seems that these persons have adjustment problems and need special support services to secure their employability.