Understanding employers' hiring intention in relation to qualified workers with disabilities

Abstract

The present study focused on the intentions of employers to reach out toward qualified workers with disabilities as part of their hiring pool recruitment activity. An employer survey was developed in accord with the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 2005). According to the tenets of the model, it was hypothesized that through multiple regression, it would be demonstrated that employer attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control variables predict the intention to engage in hiring behavior toward qualified workers with disabilities in the next six months. Overall, the model accounted for 67% of the variance in the survey of Northwest employers (n = 92) in relation to hiring intentions with normative influences (CEOs, CFOs, etc.) accounting for the greater proportion of the variance, beta coefficient 0.48, p < 0.01. Attitudes toward the hiring behavior and perceived control had lesser beta weights, 0.24 and 0.22, p < 0.05. Implications of these findings and those from the focus groups used to develop the survey are reviewed in detail relative to more effective vocational rehabilitation marketing efforts.

An Empirical Study of Managers’ Intention to Hire Older Workers

“…The research findings corroborated with Ang et al (2015) and Kluge and Krings (2008) in that attitudes and subjective norm were strong predictors in TPB. Furthermore, the present findings were in line with and supported Lu et al (2011) andFraser et al (2011) in that attitude was significance contributor to the prediction of hiring. Subjective norm and past experience also supported Lu et al (2011) where they were found to be significant to the intention prediction.…”

“…In Hypothesis 2, subjective norm was found to have relationships to managers' intention to hire older workers. The results were supportive of Ang et al (2015), Fraser et al (2011), andLu et al (2011) respectively where subjective norm was a great contributor to intention.…”

“…Compare the above with other studies, for example, in Fraser et al (2011) on hiring of workers with disabilities, the respondents were very limited as they were members from one single business chamber. In Chan, Paim, Masud and Jariah Hamid (2010) on the age of older workers, the study referred to between age 55 and 75, and retired workers.…”

“…Intention to hire was supportive of Fraser et al (2011) on employers' intention to hire qualified workers with disability, and Lu et al (2011) on employers' intention to hire older workers. In this present study, a great contribution for the prediction of intention came from attitude, as managers from older age groups had more positive attitude toward older workers as opposed to managers from young age group, and the influence of such positivity on the intention to hire also supported earlier studies (eg.…”

“…We identified the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) with modification as the foundation of our study. TPB has been widely used in various studies and had proven its versatility in its application, such as in intention to quit smoking or alcohol (Paswan, Gai, & Sua, 2015;Soulakova, Li & Crokett, 2017), on online purchase intention (Lim, Yap & Lee, 2011); on crisis planning intention (Wang & Ritchie, 2012) or on fertility intention (Dommermuth, Klobas & Lappegard, 2011). Fraser, Ajzen, Johnson, Hebert & Chan (2011 had proven the usefulness of TPB to predict intention with a success rate of 67% of the variance and it provided greater understanding on respondents' behavioral intent.…”