Deaf people's employment and workplaces – similarities and differences in comparison with a reference population

• Main Authors: Emelie Rydberg, Lotta Coniavitis Gellerstedt, Berth Danermark
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Stockholm University Press 2010-12-01
• Series: Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research
• Subjects: deaf; employment; workplace; occupation level; Sweden
• Online Access: https://www.sjdr.se/articles/414

This study aims to describe and analyze the characteristics of deaf people in employment and their workplaces in Sweden. A population of 2144 people born 1941–80 who attended a school for the deaf was compared to 100,000 randomly chosen individuals from the total Swedish population born 1941–80. Data on these persons consisted of registered information from the year 2005. Results showed that there are differences between the workplaces of people in the deaf and the reference population. For instance, deaf people were more commonly employed in the public sector. People in employment showed similar findings in both populations concerning sex, age and level of educational attainment: the higher the level of educational attainment, the higher the employment rate. However, deaf people more often had a higher level of educational attainment than was required for their occupation, which is an indication of discrimination in the labour market.