A Study on the Types and Influencing Factors of the Quality of Employment for Workers with Disabilities in South Korea

Background and Purpose: The quality of employment is a multidimensional concept that goes beyond just economic factors like wages. It encompasses various aspects of the work environment and conditions, as well as institutional factors. Through efforts such as the mandatory employment system, Korea has experienced quantitative growth in the employment of workers with disabilities. As a result, the discussion on employment for people with disabilities has shifted beyond just employment rates, to also consider the qualitative aspects of their jobs. However, most previous studies on the quality of employment have measured it as a single index, which has limitations in precisely identifying the crucial sub-elements. To address this, the present study aims to analyze the employment quality of workers with disabilities from a multidimensional perspective. Specifically, it seeks to examine the distinct subgroups of workers with disabilities based on their patterns of employment quality, and to investigate the predictive factors for each of these subgroups.

Methods: This study utilized the 7th wave (2022) data from the Panel Survey of Employment for the Disabled. From the total panel of 4,577 individuals, the researchers selected 1,377 wage-earning workers with disabilities as the study sample. Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) was employed, as it allows for the identification of unobserved heterogeneity within a population by capturing different response patterns among individuals and revealing the existence of distinct subgroups. Additionally, the researchers classified the factors into sociodemographic, disability-related, and job-related characteristics, and conducted logistic regression analyses to examine the predictors of each employment quality type.

Results: The study utilized latent profile analysis to classify the types of employment quality, and the analysis results revealed a total of three types: the low-quality group, the medium-quality group, and the high-quality group. Regarding sociodemographic factors, younger age was associated with a higher probability of belonging to the high-quality group compared to the low-quality group. For human capital factors, higher educational attainment, better computer skills, and stronger organizational adaptation abilities increased the likelihood of being in the high-quality group. Among disability-related factors, better self-reported health status increased the probability of being in the medium-quality or high-quality group compared to the low-quality group. For job-related factors, when the employer was aware of the worker's disability, the worker was more likely to belong to the low-quality group compared to the high-quality group.

Conclusions and Implications: The key implications of the research findings are as follows: First, as people with disabilities age, they often experience physical functional decline and develop secondary health conditions. Therefore, it is necessary to consider these factors and provide appropriate job placements and work environments for them. Second, systematic support for the education and skill development of people with disabilities is needed. Employers should establish systems to facilitate effective job placement and work adaptation through methods such as aptitude tests and job analysis. Third, it is necessary to provide preventive healthcare services and improve the accessibility of medical services for people with disabilities to maintain their health. Finally, Education to reduce employers' biases is necessary.