Author: Discover Ability Network
The Covid 19 pandemic brought the world to a stand still. In Ontario, this resulted in numerous lock downs and restrictive measures which were particularly felt on businesses. The lasting effect of the pandemic response is still being felt by businesses, especially when it comes to recruiting and retaining employees. The OCC and the Discoverability Network believe that one answer to this widespread issue is through utilizing a relatively untapped talent pool. This talent pool is people who self-identify with disabilities.
There are many benefits in hiring from this pool of applicants. A major issue coming out of the pandemic is retaining employees longer term. One prominent advantage is that people with a disability have higher than average retention rates and company loyalty (Turning diversity into $ (2014)). Higher retention means that recruitment costs become lower. People with disabilities also add to the productivity of a company with 90% of employees with disabilities rate average or better on performance (Graffam, Shinkfield, Smith and Polzin (2002)). Absenteeism has become a major issues for businesses across Ontario. Employees with disabilities rate average or better on attendance (Graffam, Shinkfield, Smith and Polzin (2002)). But most importantly, as many companies have yet to access this talent pool, there are hundreds of qualified candidates waiting to being their careers, making recruitment faster.
To ease the difficulty of recruitment, the Discoverability Network provides free training and a free job platform to help business connect to these qualified applicants faster. To learn more about the Discoverability Network, and how hiring people with disabilities can benefit your business, visit
