Work Opportunities and Workplace Characteristics for Employees with Intellectual Disability in the Norwegian Labour Market

In most countries, people with intellectual disability are largely excluded from competitive employment. Research has identified school- and workplace-related barriers that may hinder their participation in the labour market. Yet, information about available work opportunities for employees with intellectual disability is lacking. This study aims to address this knowledge gap by mapping work tasks for which Norwegian employers report hiring employees with intellectual disability. Through an online survey, 478 employers in competitive employment companies provided information about whether they had prior experience with hiring employees with intellectual disability and, if so, which work tasks these employees performed. In the study sample, large, private companies within hotel, restaurant and catering were more likely to hire employees with intellectual disability than companies that were small and public and in other sectors. However, findings also indicate that a wide variety of work tasks with different degrees of complexity is available within all of the sectors. These findings may inform adolescents with intellectual disability and transition teams about work opportunities that may be available in their community. This information may further help schools to partner with local businesses for the planning of employment training in upper secondary school.