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Maine's CHOICES CEO Project
Maine's Disability and Employment Dashboard
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Employment Participation
People with disabilities are an untapped resource for the state of Maine. There are many people with disabilities who want to work but who are unemployed, under-employed, or who have been unable to enter the job market. There are several programs in Maine — including the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services, One-Stop CareerCenters and the CHOICES CEO project — that share a common goal of supporting people with disabilities who work or who would like to work. This section outlines several markers of employment participation that we would like to see increase.
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Employment Participation of Working-age Adults in Maine by Disability Status In 2009, there were about 109,000 working-age adults with a disability living in Maine. Of these, 37,000 were employed. The employment rate of people with disabilities is less than half the rate of those with no disability. This is true in both the state of Maine and the country as a whole. In 2009, 34 percent of adults with disabilities were employed — compared to 80 percent of adults without a disability. In addition, about one in four working-age adults with disabilities were employed for more than 35 hours per week (full-time) and worked for more than 50 weeks (full-year). The rate of full-time/full-year work among adults with disabilities is also less than half of that for adults without a disability. The recession appears to have significantly impacted employment among workers with disabilities. Between 2008 and 2009, the estimated number of employed adults with a disability declined from 40,000 to 37,000, and the employment rate fell from 40 percent to 34 percent. Similarly, the rate of full-time/full-year employment among adults with a disability fell from 25 to 20 percent. |
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Employment Participation of Working-age Adults in Maine by Disability Type In general, employment participation is highest among adults with hearing and vision difficulties and lowest among those with self-care, and independent living difficulties (see disability definitions from the ACS). About half of adults with hearing difficulties, and one third of adults with vision difficulties, reported work in the 2009 ACS. By comparison, less than one in five adults with self-care and independent living difficulties were employed. Twenty-three percent of adults with any ambulatory disability were employed, and twenty-five percent of adults with cognitive disabilities reported work. Between 2008 and 2009, there were particularly large declines in the employment rate for adults with vision, hearing and independent living difficulties. The employment rate among adults with vision difficulties fell most dramatically, from 47 down to 34 percent, a reduction of 13 percent. |
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