An Analysis of Employer Incentive Rankings Relative to the Employment of Persons with Mental Retardation

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to identify potential factors that affect an employer's decision to hire a worker with mental retardation. Eighty-four employers (71% of target group) in six occupational clusters were interviewed and were asked to indicate how each of ten incentives would affect their willingness to hire a person with mental retardation. The top four incentives identified by employers were: (a) probability of regular attendance; (b) ongoing availability of person to call for assistance; (c) high probability of long-term employment; and (d) availability of person for on-site training. Pre-job training also ranked high as an incentive. The two lowest incentives were subminimum wage and tax credits.

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