Bridging the Gap: Employability of Persons with Disabilities (PWD) in the Service Industry
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20026195Keywords:
Person with Disabilities, employability, inclusive hiring policy, descriptive quantitative research, service industryAbstract
Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) are vital to the labor market; however, their participation remains limited despite existing inclusive laws. This study bridges the employability gap in the service industry by analyzing industry profiles, hiring practices, and primary considerations for recruitment. Utilizing a descriptive quantitative approach, the researcher employed cross-tabulation and chi-square tests to measure associations between industry profiles and key employability factors. Findings reveal low PWD employment, particularly within the tourism sector and micro-businesses. Results highlight a critical lack of formal hiring policies and supportive environments, specifically regarding accommodation facilities and assistive technologies. Employers prioritize high school graduates with soft skills like effective communication and positive attitudes, while marketing and computer proficiency are the top-ranked hard skills. The analysis proves that educational qualifications, soft/hard skills, flexible work arrangements, and disability types are significantly associated with industry type. Conversely, physical facilities and assistive technologies are significantly linked to business size. This study concludes that there is a need to adopt inclusive hiring policies to improve PWD employability.
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