Examining employment outcomes of deaf and hard-of-hearing people in The Netherlands using non-public microdata

TL;DR

This study examines employment outcomes of deaf and hard-of-hearing people in the Netherlands, revealing disparities in income, job sectors, and work hours compared to the general population.

Contribution

The study provides new insights into the employment status of DHH individuals in the Netherlands using non-public microdata.

Findings

DHH claimants are more likely to receive income from sick leave, disability pensions, and social benefits.

DHH claimants earn lower hourly wages and work fewer hours per week than the matched Dutch population.

DHH claimants work in different employment sectors and stay in their first job longer.

Abstract

It is internationally recognized that people with disabilities have an equal right to work as people without disabilities. This includes deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) people. Previous studies, primarily conducted in the US, showed discrepancies between employment outcomes of DHH people and typically hearing people.

There is still a lack of knowledge about the current employment status of DHH people in the Netherlands. Furthermore, additional job characteristics such as income sources and sectors of employment are yet to be examined. This paper aims to address this lack of knowledge.

This study used non-public microdata to examine employment outcomes of DHH people who claimed sensory disability care in the Netherlands between 2015 and 2019 (n = 5609) and compare them to a matched Dutch population (MDP) (n = 5609).

Despite small differences in employment participation, DHH claimants are more likely to have an income from sick leave/disability pension, other social benefits, and retirement compared to the MDP. DHH claimants also have lower average hourly wages, work fewer hours per week, work in different employment sectors, and stay in their first job longer compared to the MDP.

The results of this study show that there are labor force differences between DHH claimants and the MDP. Further steps must be taken to identify the causes of these differences and develop policies and interventions to address these when deemed necessary.

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