Navigating the journey into formal employment for youth with disabilities in Bangladesh: A qualitative study

Abstract

Despite the fact that youth employment is a government policy priority in Bangladesh, young people have higher unemployment rates than the overall working population. Young men and women with disabilities are the most vulnerable growing up with stigma and discrimination, low self-esteem and often inequitable access to the services and skills they require to earn a living. This qualitative study adopted a workplace case-study approach to gather information on how youth with disabilities are transitioning into formal employment, and the effects of this transition on their lives and livelihoods. Twelve youth with disabilities (33 % female), eighteen co-workers (55 % female) and eight managers (25 % female) from 12 workplaces participated in the in-depth interviews. Through inductive and deductive thematic analysis, the findings suggest that the desire for independent economic and social lives was the key driver of transition into formal employment and underpinned the processes of empowerment and actions for young men and women with disabilities in their journey into formal employment. Many were struggling economically and psychologically, however getting a job had enhanced their self-esteem and confidence. Support from co-workers, supervisors, friends, and family members had helped them to confront the challenges in their journey more positively, motivating their efforts to lead independent economic and social lives. Better understanding of this transition process, the challenges youth with disabilities face, and the support needed, is important for the success of disability-inclusive employment programmes.