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Employment Experiences of People with Disabilities in Cyprus
Kika Hadjikakou and Dimitra Hartas
Introduction
The purpose of this study was to investigate for the first time the expectations and workplace experiences of young people with disabilities in Cyprus, and draw conclusions regarding the implementation of policies to combat discrimination in the work place. Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with a population of 766,400 inhabitants (Statistical Service, 2006). Economic activity has expanded during the last few years, with growth mainly in the services sector that has 71.2% of employed persons, followed by the industry sector with 24.1% and the agriculture sector with 4.7%. The number of employed persons in Cyprus in 2005 was 348.031, of which 43.3% were women. Overall unemployment is 5.3% of the labour force, but this masks much a high rate of unemployment (13.9%) for young persons aged 15-24 (males 13.2%, females 14.7%) (Statistical Service, 2004, 2005). In a longitudinal study on young people's transition from higher education to the job market in Cyprus Meletiou-Mavrotheri, Maouri, Hatzichristou & Hartas (2006) found that the high unemployment of young persons was mainly due to a lack of jobs relevant to their field of study, pointing to a mismatch between skills and job market requirements. Regarding their emoluments, women graduates were paid less than men, and those who attended private higher education institutions were paid less than those who graduated from public institutions.
The study grew out of interest in issues of employment and disability that emerged as Cyprus became a member of the European Union (EU) with its policies that promote equal opportunities for persons with disability. In 2000 Cyprus adopted a law on the employment rights of persons with disabilities (127(1)/2000 Law). It promotes equal treatment of disabled people during application for a job, employment, training opportunities and career progression, and states that all necessary accommodations should be made available to people with disability, that compensation should be provided in case they are dismissed, and postulates that different schemes should be in place to encourage employers to employ people with disabilities, and that a number of places (a quota) in the public sector should be offered exclusively to people with disability.
Method
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 tertiary education graduates (9 female and 2 male) with a wide range of disabilities (hearing loss - 2, physical disabilities - 1, dyslexia - 2, epilepsy - 1, multiple disabilities - 1, visual impairment - 2, long-term health problems - 2. Initial interviews were conducted in the final year of their studies at higher education institutions in Cyprus, and again two years after graduation. Issues investigated included expectations regarding employment, the process of obtaining a job, job retention and adjustment in the workplace. Each thirty-minute interview was audio-taped, transcribed, coded and analyzed thematically.
Findings
Study findings point to variability in employment opportunities, access and workplace adjustments for young persons with disabilities. Although all participants were higher education graduates, they reported significant barriers in their employment, especially those with visible disabilities. As near graduates, they expressed low expectations for employment prospects. Following graduation nearly half were not satisfied with their jobs, expressing concerns that it did not match their qualifications. During the job interview the majority refrained from disclosing their disability for the fear of employers' discriminative attitudes. Of the few who did disclose their disability, all felt discriminated against as a result. This is consistent with prior research suggesting that discrimination in employment interviews is evident in the experience of disabled people (eg, Tagalakis, Amsel & Fichten, 1988). A few participants disclosed their disability after accepting a job, thinking that employers should be aware of it for safety and other reasons. These employers were said to display negative attitudes, and did not offer any accommodations.
Restrictions in the physical environment and lack of accommodations in the workplace were also discussed. The majority of the participants stressed they had not sought on-the-job accommodations to minimise the possibility of discrimination. This paradox between not disclosing disability to avoid discrimination and establishing disability to maximise employability supports has previously been discussed by Goss et al (2000), and presents a challenge in how to access appropriate resources and supports so people with disabilities can appropriately do their work.
In general, the public sector was thought to be less discriminatory towards employees with disabilities than the private, which explains why almost all the participants expressed a wish to be employed in government offices. Because of the quota system participants knew that some places in the public sector should be offered exclusively to people with disability, maximising their employment opportunities.
Conclusion
Results from this study suggest that Cypriot legislative measures promoting equal employment for people with disabilities have not reached employers, especially those in the private sector. Policy objectives have not been articulated clearly, and there is a conspicuous absence of government-supported mechanisms to ensure that employment policy translates to workplace practice. It is evident that in Cyprus, as elsewhere in the EU, the interests of people with disabilities have not attained the status of "fundamental rights" (de Burca, 1995). As inclusion gains ground worldwide and the voice of individuals with disability becomes stronger in Cyprus, it is hoped that challenges in translating legislation into practice will be resolved to ensure an inclusive working environment.
References
De Burca, G. (1995) 'The Language of Rights and European Integration.' In Shaw, J. and Goss, D., Goss, F. and Adam-Smith, D. (2000). Disability and employment: a comparative critique of UK legislation, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol 11 (4) 807-821.
Kerka, S. (1998). Adults with learning disabilities. Columbus: Ohio State University.
Meletiou-Mavrotheris, M., Maouri, C., Hatzichristou, C & Hartas, D (2006). "The Cypriot young people's transition from private and public higher education to the job market." Unpublished manuscript. Nicosia.
Statistical Service (2004). Labor statistics. Nicosia: Printing Office of the Republic of Cyprus.
Statistical Service (2005). Labor force survey. Nicosia: Printing Office
of the Republic of Cyprus.
Statistical Service (2006). Cyprus in figures. Nicosia: Printing Office of the Republic of Cyprus.
Tagalakis, V., Amsel, R. & Fichten, C.S. (1988). Job interview strategies for people with a visible disability. Journal of Applied Psychology, 18, 520-532.
Submitted by
Kika Hadjikakou, Cypriot Ministry for Education and Culture, Cyprus ;
Dimitra Hartas, Institute of Education, University of Warwick, UK
Email: D.Hartas@warwick.ac.uk
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