Consider Hiring People With Disabilities (Jeff Dern Commentary)

(Shutterstock)

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce reports there are approximately 8.2 million job openings in the U.S. but only 7.2 million people looking for work.

“We hear every day from our member companies — of every size and industry, across nearly every state — that they’re facing unprecedented challenges trying to find enough workers to fill open jobs,” the chamber said.

I’ve got a solution for businesses struggling to hire workers: Consider hiring people with disabilities.

There are more than 20 million working-age (16-64) people with disabilities in the United States, and 65% of them are unemployed. There are millions of qualified, motivated, stellar people with disabilities willing and able — yes, able — to fill those jobs, people like Beth Cole-Pope, a custodian with Pride Industries at the federal courthouse in Little Rock. 

Beth is both deaf and blind, but she cleans the courthouse so thoroughly by cleaning everything she touches that her manager is training other custodians to use her tactile cleaning method.

Beth was honored by the state of Arkansas on Oct. 1 at an event at the state Capitol celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

Beth’s pathway to employment was not easy.

“I searched and searched for a job for a very long time,” she said through an interpreter.

“I decided to go to college and to get a college degree and I still couldn’t find a job.”

People with disabilities deserve job opportunities because they do great work. Just ask Beth’s manager, Trent Thomas.

“I wish I had 10 Beths,” Trent said. “She’s just an amazing worker, plain and simple.”

Beth’s employment was made possible by Arkansas Rehabilitation Services, which provides funding for employment support like sign language interpretation and job coaching.

While Beth’s story is remarkable, hers is not an isolated incident. Beth is one of millions of Americans with disabilities who have the talent and the motivation to do great work.

Hiring people with disabilities is not just a nice thing to do. It’s good business. A 2023 Accenture study that found companies that actively employ and support people with disabilities enjoy 1.6 times more revenue, 2.6 times more net income and twice the economic profit.

That’s why some of the largest companies in the world have developed recruitment programs aimed at attracting people with disabilities. Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Target and Walgreens are just some of the companies that have been cited for their inclusive recruitment, hiring and employment practices.

If you need more incentives, the federal Work Opportunity Tax Credit is available to employers that hire people with disabilities. The credit available ranges from $2,400 up to $9,600 depending on the employee and qualified wages.

I encourage all organizations to actively recruit and hire people with disabilities. You will be better for it.

Jeff Dern is president and CEO of Pride Industries, the nation’s leading employer of people with disabilities.