1.2 : Statistics on People with Disabilities in Quebec
People with disabilities represent a pool of qualified, available, and motivated workers. Yet, their talents remain largely underutilized in Quebec. This tool aims to provide an overview of working-age Quebecers with disabilities who are able to work, while highlighting the employment barriers they face. It also seeks to debunk some persistent myths.
Overview of Quebecers with Disabilities in the Workplace
According to the 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability, 21% of Quebecers aged 15 and over (or 1,400,000 people) have disabilities.i In 2017, 9% of people with disabilities aged 15 to 64 were unemployed, and 40% were inactive (that is, neither in school nor looking for work).ii Among those who are inactive, 43% have held a job in the past five years, 18% have never worked, 18% have taken steps to find a job, and 23% plan to do so within the next year.iii This indicates that a large number of people with disabilities already have work experience and are interested in joining an organization like yours.
Employment Barriers Still Faced by People with Disabilities
Among people with disabilities who do not plan to look for work in the coming year, 62% say they are discouraged by the barriers they’ve encountered in past job searches.iv Additionally, 20.6% of those who have worked in the past five years believe they were denied an interview, a job, or a promotion because of their condition.v To fully benefit from their talents, employers must be aware of and able to recognize the barriers within their own organizations and put in place measures to reduce them.
Common Myths to Dispel
- People with disabilities are not educated: In 2020, they represented 14.4% of college students and 8.7% of university students.vi
- People with disabilities only hold entry-level jobs: 71% of people with disabilities who completed postsecondary education hold jobs related to their field of study, skills, and experience. Most often, these are technical or specialized roles that typically require college-level technical training (33.9%), such as IT technicians or medical archivists, or intermediate positions requiring vocational training (28.3%), such as dental assistants or heavy machinery operators, etc.vii
- People with disabilities only work part-time: In Quebec, 80% of people with disabilities work full-time.viii
- People with disabilities are not reliable: The majority (55%) remain with the same employer for five years or more.ix
- Accommodations are expensive and complicated: 42% of people with disabilities require support (technical or human aids) or accommodations to work. The most frequently requested accommodations are flexible hours or reduced schedules (20.8%), modified or different tasks (12.3%), and an adapted or ergonomic workstation (11.3%). The least commonly requested are technical aids such as screen readers (1.8%), accessible or adapted parking (2.2%), and laptops or tablets with specialized software or other adaptive technologies (2.7%).x
People with disabilities represent a pool of qualified, ready, and motivated workers. However, their talents remain underused in Quebec.
1 Office des personnes handicapées du Québec (2024). Profil statistique des personnes handicapées, Drummondville, Gouvernement du Québec. Available at: https://www.quebec.ca/famille-et-soutien-aux-personnes/participation-sociale-personnes-handicapees/statistiques
2 Office des personnes handicapées du Québec. (2022). Les personnes avec incapacité au Québec : un portrait à partir des données de l’Enquête canadienne sur l’incapacité de 2017 : activité sur le marché du travail : volume 8. Drummondville. Gouvernement du Québec : https://cdn-contenu.quebec.ca/cdn-contenu/adm/org/ophq/Statistiques/V08_Portrait_incapacite_Qc_ECI2017.pdf
3 Office des personnes handicapées du Québec. (2022). Les personnes avec incapacité au Québec : un portrait à partir des données de l’Enquête canadienne sur l’incapacité de 2017 : activité sur le marché du travail : volume 8. Drummondville. Gouvernement du Québec : https://cdn-contenu.quebec.ca/cdn-contenu/adm/org/ophq/Statistiques/V08_Portrait_incapacite_Qc_ECI2017.pdf
4 Office des personnes handicapées du Québec. (2022). Les personnes avec incapacité au Québec : un portrait à partir des données de l’Enquête canadienne sur l’incapacité de 2017 : activité sur le marché du travail : volume 8. Drummondville. Gouvernement du Québec : https://cdn-contenu.quebec.ca/cdn-contenu/adm/org/ophq/Statistiques/V08_Portrait_incapacite_Qc_ECI2017.pdf
5 Office des personnes handicapées du Québec. (2022). Les personnes avec incapacité au Québec : un portrait à partir des données de l’Enquête canadienne sur l’incapacité de 2017 : activité sur le marché du travail : volume 8. Drummondville. Gouvernement du Québec : https://cdn-contenu.quebec.ca/cdn-contenu/adm/org/ophq/Statistiques/V08_Portrait_incapacite_Qc_ECI2017.pdf
6 Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur (2023). Inclusion, accessibilité et services concernant les personnes étudiantes en situation de handicap. Guide pratique à l’intention du personnel des établissements d’enseignement supérieur, Québec, Gouvernement du Québec, 35 pages. Available at: https://cdn-contenu.quebec.ca/cdn-contenu/adm/min/education/publications-adm/soutien-etablissements/guide-PESH.pdf
7 Office des personnes handicapées du Québec. (2022). Les personnes avec incapacité au Québec : un portrait à partir des données de l’Enquête canadienne sur l’incapacité de 2017 : activité sur le marché du travail : volume 8. Drummondville. Gouvernement du Québec : https://cdn-contenu.quebec.ca/cdn-contenu/adm/org/ophq/Statistiques/V08_Portrait_incapacite_Qc_ECI2017.pdf
8 Office des personnes handicapées du Québec. (2022). Les personnes avec incapacité au Québec : un portrait à partir des données de l’Enquête canadienne sur l’incapacité de 2017 : activité sur le marché du travail : volume 8. Drummondville. Gouvernement du Québec : https://cdn-contenu.quebec.ca/cdn-contenu/adm/org/ophq/Statistiques/V08_Portrait_incapacite_Qc_ECI2017.pdf
9 Office des personnes handicapées du Québec. (2022). Les personnes avec incapacité au Québec : un portrait à partir des données de l’Enquête canadienne sur l’incapacité de 2017 : activité sur le marché du travail : volume 8. Drummondville. Gouvernement du Québec : https://cdn-contenu.quebec.ca/cdn-contenu/adm/org/ophq/Statistiques/V08_Portrait_incapacite_Qc_ECI2017.pdf
10 Office des personnes handicapées du Québec. (2022). Les personnes avec incapacité au Québec : un portrait à partir des données de l’Enquête canadienne sur l’incapacité de 2017 : activité sur le marché du travail : volume 8. Drummondville. Gouvernement du Québec : https://cdn-contenu.quebec.ca/cdn-contenu/adm/org/ophq/Statistiques/V08_Portrait_incapacite_Qc_ECI2017.pdf
Hire for Talent has made every effort to use the most respectful words possible while writing these materials. We realize, however, that the most appropriate terminology may change over time. We developed these materials with the intent to respect the dignity and inherent rights of all individual.
