Background/aim Re‐employment is the goal of rehabilitation for many patients after stroke. This study retrospectively examined previously employed stroke survivors who were unable to return to work at time of discharge from hospital and identified factors which were correlated with successful re‐employment following a rehabilitation programme involving occupational therapy at a support facility. Factors correlated with reactivation of drivers’ licence after stroke were also investigated. Methods Participants were 150 post‐stroke patients who were discharged from a support facility for persons with disabilities from April 2011 to March 2016. Data on patients’ sociodemographic information, activities of daily living, and physical functions had been recorded at the time of admission into the facility. Employment status was recorded at discharge. Data were collected retrospectively in July 2017 from the medical records. Logistic regression models were prepared to examine factors correlated with successful re‐employment and reactivation of drivers’ licence after occupational therapy. Results A stepwise logistic regression model revealed that the following four factors were significantly correlated with successful re‐employment: (i) the dressing‐lower body item in the Functional Independence Measure (P < 0.001), (ii) the grooming item in the Functional Independence Measure (P = 0.002), (iii) marital status (P = 0.007), and (iv) the problem‐solving item in the Functional Independence Measure (P = 0.028). Another stepwise logistic regression model revealed that the factors were significantly correlated with successful reactivation of drivers’ licence: (i) the problem‐solving item in the Functional Independence Measure (P = 0.002), (ii) the dressing‐lower body item in the Functional Independence Measure (P = 0.011) and (iii) the residence area (P = 0.038). Conclusion A single‐centre retrospective study demonstrated several significant correlates of successful re‐employment and reactivation of drivers’ licence after stroke following rehabilitation training which employs occupational therapy to target skills critical for employment.