Discrimination in access to employment for graduates with disabilities: proposals for improvement.

Although the number of graduates with disabilities is increasing worldwide, few studies have examined their transition to employment. This study analysed the difficulties they find in their labour insertion compared with their peers without disabilities and offers proposals to improve their employability. We used a representative sample of Spanish graduates, with and without disabilities. Our results showed that the main problem for graduates with disabilities is their access to the labour market. There is, however, no evidence of differences in the quality of employment between graduates with and without disabilities. We found that the difficulties in accessing employment among graduates with disabilities are related to discriminatory institutional factors in the labour market. Therefore, it is important to implement policies focused on the removal of institutional barriers that may prevent employers from hiring graduates with disabilities. Our results provide empirical evidence for policies that can improve their employability. Points of interest: In recent decades, there has been a significant increase in the number of people with disabilities enrolled in higher education programs. This study compares the employability and job quality of Spanish university graduates with and without disabilities. The results showed that Spanish graduates with disabilities struggle to find work. However, once employed, their jobs are of similar quality to those without disabilities. This research proves that differences in employability between graduates with and without disabilities are mainly due to discriminatory factors and not differences in skills. Evidence shows that providing employment support and personalised job search assistance can aid in removing discrimination against graduates with disabilities. Promoting temporary, part-time, or self-employment for graduates with disabilities can also ease their access to the labour market by adapting employment to their special needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]