Statistics Canada's 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability found that 62% of people with disabilities aged 25 to 64 were employed. For people without disabilities, the figure was 78%. If you are a disabled job seeker, that 16-point gap is the backdrop to your search. The laws, employer obligations and programs below are what you can use to close it for yourself.
This guide covers what the data shows, which laws shape your rights on the job, which employers are legally required to publish accessibility commitments, and how to check pay and job duties before you apply.
Key facts
- The 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability counted 8.0 million Canadians aged 15 and older with one or more disabilities, or 27% of that population.
- Among people aged 25 to 64, 62% of people with disabilities were employed, compared with 78% of people without disabilities.
- Under the Accessible Canada Act, federally regulated employers such as banks, telecom companies, airlines, railways and the federal public service must publish accessibility plans and progress reports.
- In Ontario, the employment standard under the AODA requires employers to tell applicants that accommodations are available during recruitment, interviews and selection.
- The duty to accommodate under the Canadian Human Rights Act and provincial human rights codes applies up to the point of undue hardship.
What the Numbers Say About Disabled People at Work
The employment gap
The 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability is the most detailed national source on this topic. Its headline employment finding for people aged 25 to 64 was 62% for people with disabilities and 78% for people without. You can follow newer releases through Statistics Canada labour data.
Severity changes the picture
The survey also reports employment by disability severity. Employment rates fall as severity rises, so someone with a mild disability faces a very different market than someone with a severe or very severe one. That is worth knowing because some programs below, such as Ready, Willing and Able, are built for specific groups rather than for disability in general.
What this means for your search
The gap is not spread evenly across employers. Some organizations have legal reporting duties, formal accommodation processes and targeted recruitment. Others have none of these. You will get better results by putting most of your time into the first group.
The Laws That Shape Your Rights on the Job
This section is general information, not legal advice. For a specific situation, contact the Canadian Human Rights Commission, your provincial human rights body or a community legal clinic.
Accessible Canada Act
The Accessible Canada Act became law in 2019 and aims for a barrier-free Canada by 2040. It covers the federal government and federally regulated industries, including banking, telecommunications, air and rail transportation, and postal services. These organizations must publish accessibility plans, set up a way for the public to give feedback, and publish regular progress reports. Employment is one of the priority areas the plans must address.
Canadian Human Rights Act and provincial codes
The Canadian Human Rights Act bans disability discrimination by federally regulated employers. Provincially regulated employers, which is most private employers, are covered by provincial human rights legislation such as the Ontario Human Rights Code. Under both, employers have a duty to accommodate up to the point of undue hardship. That is a high bar. Inconvenience or a modest cost does not usually meet it.
AODA and other provincial accessibility laws
Ontario's Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 includes an employment standard. Employers must tell applicants that accommodations are available when they recruit, interview and select, and must tell new hires about their accommodation policies. Larger employers must have a written process for individual accommodation plans. Manitoba, Nova Scotia and British Columbia have their own accessibility laws, which are being phased in through sector standards.
Employment Equity Act
Persons with disabilities are one of the designated groups under the federal Employment Equity Act. Federally regulated private-sector employers with 100 or more employees must collect workforce data and report on representation. This is why large banks and telecom companies run voluntary self-identification surveys.
Employers and Programs Worth Targeting
Federally regulated employers with published accessibility plans
Because of the Accessible Canada Act, you can read the accessibility plans of RBC, TD, BMO, Scotiabank, CIBC, Bell, Telus, Rogers, Air Canada, WestJet, CN and Canada Post before you apply. Search the company name with the words accessibility plan. Then read the employment section for concrete commitments, such as accessible recruitment, a central accommodation fund or a named accessibility office. If an interviewer asks why you want to work there, quoting a specific commitment from the plan shows you did your homework.
The federal public service
In 2019 the federal government set a goal of hiring 5,000 net new persons with disabilities into the public service by 2025. It also created the Federal Internship Program for Canadians with Disabilities, which offers paid two-year work placements. Government postings usually include a priority statement for the employment equity groups. Our guide to applying for Government of Canada jobs as a person with a disability explains how to self-declare and how the selection steps work.
Specialist programs
- Ready, Willing and Able is a national program that connects people with an intellectual disability or autism with employers.
- Specialisterne Canada runs employer partnerships and training for autistic job seekers, often in technology and data roles.
- The Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities is a federal program that funds local organizations to deliver job coaching, skills training and wage subsidies. Ask local disability employment agencies whether they receive it.
- Provincial services include Employment Ontario, ODSP Employment Supports in Ontario, and WorkBC, whose Assistive Technology Services can help fund equipment you need for work.
Disability-focused job boards
General job sites mix inclusive employers in with everyone else. EmpowerAbilities.ca is a Canada-focused job board where the employers have chosen to recruit candidates with disabilities. That removes a filtering step from your search.
Matching Roles to How You Work, and Checking Pay
Use NOC codes to read past job titles
The same title can mean very different duties at different companies. The National Occupational Classification (NOC) lists the main duties and typical requirements for each occupation. Some codes to start with:
- 13110 Administrative assistants: scheduling, correspondence and document preparation, mostly at a desk.
- 12200 Accounting technicians and bookkeepers: structured, deadline-based work that often moves to hybrid arrangements.
- 22221 User support technicians: help desk and IT support, often done by phone, chat or ticket.
- 22222 Information systems testing technicians: software testing, including accessibility testing.
- 21232 Software developers and programmers: focused project work that is often done remotely.
Turn assistive technology into a skill on your resume
If you use JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, ZoomText or Dragon every day, you have practical skills that accessibility testing teams need. Many teams check websites against the WCAG accessibility guidelines. List the tools under Skills on your resume, and add a line about any sites or apps you have reported problems on.
Check the wage before your interview
Use Job Bank wage reports by occupation and region. Enter the NOC title and your city. The report shows low, median and high hourly wages for your local area, plus the provincial figure. Write down the median before your interview. If you are asked about salary expectations, aim at or above the median and back it with your experience. If a posting offers less than the low figure for your region, treat that as a warning sign.
Consider remote roles if commuting is the barrier
For many applicants, the commute or the office environment is the barrier, not the work itself. Our guide to remote jobs for people with disabilities in Canada covers which roles hire remotely and how to spot fake postings.
Accommodations: What to Ask For and How
During hiring
In Ontario, the AODA means employers have to tell you accommodations are available, so you can use that offer directly. Reasonable requests include more time on a timed skills test, interview questions sent ahead of time, a captioned video interview, a ground-floor or step-free location, or a written test in place of a phone screen. Make the request by email as soon as you are invited, and keep the reply.
On the job, tied to the role
Make your request about the task. For example:
- A bookkeeper with chronic fatigue asks to work from home two days during month-end close.
- A user support technician who is hard of hearing asks to move from phone tickets to chat and email tickets.
- A tester with ADHD asks for written acceptance criteria on every ticket and a quiet room for focused testing blocks.
What you need to share
You usually need to describe your functional needs, meaning what you can and cannot do and what helps. You do not need to give your diagnosis. Ontario Human Rights Commission guidance reflects this approach. Our step-by-step guide on writing an accommodation request at work includes wording you can adapt.
Disclosure and Self-Identification
They are not the same thing
Disclosure means telling your manager or HR about your disability, usually so you can get an accommodation. Self-identification usually means a confidential workforce survey that employers covered by the Employment Equity Act use for their reporting. Answering the survey does not automatically tell your manager anything, and it does not set up an accommodation. If you need an adjustment, you still have to ask for it.
Choosing your timing
If you need an accommodation for the interview, share only what is needed to arrange it. Some applicants mention their disability in the cover letter when the employer runs a targeted program, such as the federal internship program. Others wait until after an offer, when the conversation is about getting set up for the job. Each of these is a legitimate choice.
Explaining a resume gap
You can keep it short: I took time away to manage a health matter, and I am now ready and fully able to take on this role. Then move straight to recent training, volunteer work or freelance projects. You do not have to give medical details.
FAQ
Does the Accessible Canada Act apply to my employer?
It applies to the federal government and to federally regulated industries such as banks, telecom companies, airlines, railways, interprovincial trucking and Canada Post. Most retail, restaurant, health care and provincial employers fall under provincial human rights and accessibility laws.
Can an interviewer ask about my disability?
Human rights commissions generally advise employers not to ask about disability before making an offer. Employers can ask whether you can perform the essential duties of the job, with or without accommodation. If you are unsure about a specific question, check with your provincial human rights body.
Do I have to provide a doctor's note for an accommodation?
Employers can ask for information that confirms your functional needs. Human rights guidance generally says they should not require your diagnosis. A note that describes your limitations and the recommended adjustments is usually enough.
What is the difference between self-identifying and disclosing?
Self-identification is a confidential survey used for employment equity reporting. Disclosure is telling your employer so you can get an accommodation. You can do one without the other.
Which programs help with assistive technology costs?
WorkBC Assistive Technology Services in British Columbia and ODSP Employment Supports in Ontario can help fund work equipment. Ask your local employment services office which options are available in your province.
Your Next Step
Pick one action today. Look up the median wage for your target NOC code, read the accessibility plan of one federally regulated employer you would like to join, or draft your accommodation request for the interview stage. Ready to take the next step? Visit the EmpowerAbilities.ca job seekers page to browse current openings and create a candidate profile.
