Employment Situation, Challenges and Opportunities: The Case of Persons with Disabilities

Abstract

In 2010, it was estimated that some 3.1 percent of the Philippine population were persons with disabilities (PWDs). The Philippine government has pieces of legislation and programs that aim to improve the overall welfare of PWDs. These stipulate the rights and privileges of PWDs in terms of their health, education, and employment. However, despite the existence of such legislation and programs, PWDs continue to suffer. In particular, they struggle for work since discrimination is evident and access to suitable jobs is limited. Many employers still do not acknowledge the vast potential of PWDs despite studies showing how effective and productive they are as employees. Weak monitoring of and compliance with prevailing laws contribute to this struggle. This paper enumerates concrete actions that the critical actors—the PWDs, government, employers’ groups, workers’ associations, civil society, and the academe—could do in order to improve the situation.