Closing the gap: Longitudinal changes in employment for Australians with multiple sclerosis

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Occupational Health
• Socioeconomics

Background:

• Multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with significantly lower employment participation rates compared to the general population.
• Understanding employment trends and workplace support for people with MS is crucial for economic participation and quality of life.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine employment status and longitudinal changes in employment among people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) in Australia from 2010 to 2013.
• To assess the provision of work role and environment modifications for PwMS during the study period.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Australian MS Longitudinal Study (2010-2013), including 1260 PwMS who completed all four surveys.
• Compared employment rates of PwMS with the Australian general population.
• Investigated the provision of workplace modifications for employees with MS.

Main Results:

• Overall employment for PwMS increased from 48.8% in 2010 to 57.8% in 2013, driven largely by male full-time employment.
• The employment gap between PwMS and the general population decreased from 14.3% to 3.5% over the study period.
• The majority of PwMS requiring work adjustments received them, indicating positive organizational responses.

Conclusions:

• A substantial reduction in the employment gap for people with multiple sclerosis was observed between 2010 and 2013.
• Organizations demonstrated a positive response to requests for work role and environment adjustments for PwMS.