Disability and Job Search Among Older Workers: A Narrative Review

Abstract

This article reviews published research on the effects of disability, age and gender on the job search process. Electronic databases (Medline [via Ovid], OT Seeker, CINAHL, AMED, and Proquest 5000) were used to identify studies focusing on job search and employment, disability, age, gender and other barriers to workforce participation. There has been extensive research on the effects of age and gender on the job search process, and the available evidence indicates that disability, age and gender play significant roles in shaping the job search processes of older workers. However, there has been little rigorous investigation of the role of disability and research specifically examining the relationships between disability, job search behaviours and employment outcomes was not identified. This is a significant gap in the literature on disability and participation in the labour market. Overall, this narrative review indicates that older workers with a disability face multiple disadvantages when seeking work, which impairs their ability to fully engage in the labour market.