Employment Statys, Job Type and Employer Description Among Persons with a Significant Visual Impairment in New Zealand

Abstract

A random sample of 150 working aged members of the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind were canvassed about their employment status, the sector in which they were employed and the types of jobs they held. It was found that although 39% were currently in paid employment, 64% indicated that they 'mostly have had paid employment’ or had 'always had paid employment ' since reaching working age. When asked about the position they currently held, 46% said they worked in the private sector, 24% said they were employed in the public sector, and 25% said they were self-employed; 5% responded as 'other’. In terms of the types of jobs they were in, 29% said they were in sales or service, 23% in professional or managerial positions, 13% in clerical positions, 14% in unskilled labour, 8% in skilled labour, 2% in technical jobs; 14% responded as 'other '. When asked to rate their current position in terms of their skills or abilities, 30% rated it as either 'way too low’, or as 'a bit too low; while, 70% rated as about right. A number of demographic variables were investigated to see if they had an effect on the positions held.