YORKTON – As employers across Saskatchewan struggle to fill positions, advocates say one of the province's biggest untapped labour pools is hiding in plain sight.
Across Canada, businesses continue to grapple with staffing shortages driven by retirements and changes to immigration and temporary foreign worker programs. At the same time, an estimated 500,000 working-age Canadians with intellectual disabilities and autism are ready and willing to work but often struggle to get an opportunity.
"It's a contradiction," said Krista Carr, CEO of Inclusion Canada. "Employers need workers. Hundreds of thousands of people want to work. We need to do a better job of connecting the two."
Carr points to Ready, Willing and Able (RWA), a national partnership between Inclusion Canada and Autism Alliance of Canada, as proof that inclusive hiring works.
Since 2014, the program has helped connect more than 6,300 people with intellectual disabilities and autism to jobs across the country, including in Saskatchewan.
"It's been really successful," Carr said. "There's a ton of talent there that could be employed within businesses here in Canada to help fill labour market shortages, while also creating meaningful employment opportunities for people who want to work."
The program works directly with employers interested in inclusive hiring and connects them with community organizations supporting job seekers. Employers also receive guidance on recruitment, onboarding and workplace accommodations.
Many barriers, Carr said, are based on misconceptions rather than reality.
Some employers worry they will not know how to support a worker with a disability or assume accommodations will be costly. Others use hiring processes that may unintentionally exclude qualified candidates.
"Often employers aren't aware of the value that inclusivity brings to the workforce," she said. "We've had employers report over and over again that inclusive hiring improves workplace retention and benefits the entire team."
In Saskatchewan, Inclusion Saskatchewan helps connect employers with potential employees and provides support throughout the hiring process.
Christina Martens-Funk of Inclusion Saskatchewan said the organization works to remove barriers for people with intellectual disabilities and neurodivergent individuals while helping businesses understand the benefits of diverse workplaces.
"What the RWA program offers is some initial supports and training to help people onboard and get that initial success in the workplace," she said. "That can include information on hiring processes as well as job coaching if it's needed."
According to data gathered through the program, 83 per cent of employers report that employees hired through inclusive employment initiatives perform the same as or better than average workers when it comes to productivity, attendance and retention.
"This isn't just a social good," Martens-Funk said. "It's also an economic good."
Removing barriers to employment
Historically, many people with intellectual disabilities were paid very low wages, sometimes below minimum wage, or were limited to volunteer opportunities. Martens-Funk said inclusive employment means ensuring people receive fair compensation for their work.
"All of the positions we help create are fair-wage positions," she said. "People are making the same inclusive amount that any non-disabled person might be making."
While national statistics help tell the story, local employers and workers across east-central Saskatchewan are already demonstrating the benefits of inclusive hiring.
One employer who has seen those benefits firsthand is Darin Janzen, general manager of Norquay Co-op.
Janzen currently employs two workers on the autism spectrum and said both have become valued members of the team.
One employee, Grayson, stocks coolers and helps keep the store organized. Another, Aiden, works in several areas of the business, including operating tills and pumping gas.
"They're both reliable, 100 per cent," Janzen said. "When it's their shift, they're here. That's all there is to it."
Janzen said some extra patience and training may be required initially, but the investment pays off.
"Grayson had somebody teach him the ropes, but it didn't take long," he said. "If an employer isn't patient, it will never work. Sometimes it requires patience and compassion because you have to understand who they are."
He encourages other employers to keep an open mind.
"Absolutely give it a try," Janzen said. "Get educated about their disability, get to know the person and see if they're a fit for the job. Not every job suits every person, but that's true for everybody."
In fact, Janzen said some of his employees with disabilities have proven more dependable than workers without disabilities.
"We've had people we've had to let go because they wouldn't show up for work," he said. "But Grayson and Aiden show up. They do their jobs and they do them well. A little bit of patience in the beginning pays off in the long run."
The impact of meaningful workplace opportunities can also be seen in Yorkton.
Kaleb Krakalovich, a young man with Down syndrome, has spent the past year gaining workplace experience in a local school library in Yorkton, where he helps staff, reads with students and contributes to the school community.
Krakalovich said one of his favourite parts of the job is reading with children.
"I read to them," he said.
He also works closely with staff in the library and has gained valuable workplace experience while building relationships with members of the school community.
"I appreciate working with the staff because they are an incredible team," Krakalovich said.
Stories like Krakalovich's highlight what people with disabilities can achieve when they are given an opportunity to gain workplace experience and contribute their skills.
More opportunities needed
Advocates note that many people with disabilities continue to face barriers to obtaining paid work despite being eager and capable employees.
"Like anyone else, they want financial independence, inclusion and the dignity that comes with contributing to their communities," Carr said.
Carr said employers often focus on finding workers from outside the country or other regions while overlooking qualified people already living in their communities.
"We are often thinking, 'How are we going to fill our labour market shortages?'" she said. "Meanwhile, there are valuable team members right here who have a lot of talent to offer and would like the opportunity."
Advocates say programs like Ready, Willing and Able help bridge that gap by matching employers with prospective employees and providing supports during recruitment and onboarding. Those supports can include job coaching, guidance on accommodations and ongoing assistance to help ensure both employer and employee are successful.
For employers concerned about taking on something unfamiliar, Janzen has a simple message.
"I'd absolutely tell them to try it," he said. "If they can do the job that's put in front of them, they can work here. It's really not difficult."
Carr believes continuing and expanding the initiative would benefit both employers and job seekers.
"At a time when employers are searching for workers and hundreds of thousands of capable people are searching for opportunity, the smartest investment isn't finding new workers," she said. "It's ensuring we stop overlooking the ones we already have."
For Saskatchewan employers interested in learning more about inclusive hiring, information is available through Inclusion Saskatchewan and the Ready, Willing and Able program at readywillingable.ca.
