Person-, Job-, and Environment-Related Factors Associated with Long-Term Job Retention of People with Physical...

Employment provides people with physical disabilities (PWPD) financial independence, enhances their well-being, self-worth, and facilitates a sense of purpose. However, the unemployment rate for PWPD is significantly higher than for individuals without a disability. There is limited knowledge regarding what factors help people with disabilities retain employment beyond the standard 90-day job probationary period. Thus, we investigated person-, job-, and environment-related factors that contribute to long-term job retention for four years or more among PWPD.

We recruited a national sample of 1500 PWPD who had work experience after disability onset from panels assembled by a market research organization. We compared a subsample that maintained their longest held job for at least four years with those who had not using multivariate Poisson regression. Three models evaluated the association between job retention and (1) person-, (2) job-, and (3) environment-related factors.

Likelihood of job retention was greater for respondents reporting fatigue or emotional problems (vs. pain), advancement opportunities, and receipt of job accommodations. Concerns about limited career advancement opportunities, perception of unimportance about disclosing a disability to coworkers, and difficult work commutes were associated with shorter job retention.

Several person-, job-, and environment-related factors play an important role in promoting job retention of people with physical disabilities. Employers, job coaches, and rehabilitation professionals should consider these factors when developing strategies to support the retention of PWPD. Future studies should examine the relationship between these factors and their associations with the employment outcomes of PWPD across work settings and industries.