What is it about?
Hiring agents, recruiters, agencies, human resource personnel, and anyone responsible for job selection, are the gateway to employment for everyone. Research demonstrated that hiring agents’ personal beliefs significantly impact who they select for open positions. Findings highlighted beliefs such as stereotyping, legislative misunderstanding, social pressure, and discrimination cause hiring agents to regularly pass up qualified autistic candidates.
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Photo by Michelle Bonkosky on Unsplash
Why is it important?
All people, including those with disabilities, deserve equal and equitable employment opportunity as a matter of social justice and civil rights. The United Nations, along with hundreds of countries around the world, mandate the full, equal, and equitable employment of all people, including those with disabilities, without discrimination. Employment increases an individual’s quality of life and positively stimulates the economy and reduces government spending; thus, increasing the quality of life for everyone.
Perspectives
This research demonstrated a definitive need for increased regulatory mandates and ongoing training for all those responsible for selecting individuals to fill job openings. I believe the findings detailed in this article can help develop organizational and public policy aimed at furthering the equal and equitable employment rights of disabled individuals and other minority groups. After all, ethical civil rights and equitable employment opportunity extend to every individual on the planet.
Dr. Angela Marie Mai
Walden University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Hiring Agents’ Beliefs: A Barrier to Employment of Autistics, SAGE Open, July 2019, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/2158244019862725.
You can read the full text:
Resources
Beliefs Influencing Hiring Agents' Selection of Qualified Autistic Candidates
Original research study, dissertation, and data: Qualified and capable working age autistics face an 83% unemployment rate, thus, straining the economy and deteriorating their quality of life. This research examines potential contributing factors by inquiring what hiring agents’ beliefs may be influencing their selection of qualified autistic candidates. This quantitatively weighted, concurrent, mixed methods (QUAN > qual), multiple linear regression study measured the influence of hiring agents’ control, normative, and behavioral beliefs upon their selection of qualified autistic candidates. Through the theoretical lens of Ajzen's theory of planned behavior, conceptually crystallized with other validated theories; a representative, simple, random probability sample of hiring agents throughout the contiguous United States (n = 212) participated in this study. This model statistically significantly identified hiring agents’ beliefs influencing their selection of qualified autistic candidates to fill open positions (F(45, 73) = 36.067, p < .001, adj. R2 = .930). The inclusion of autistics in organizational diversity policies and practices (B = 0.266), overcoming dependability stereotypes (B = 0.195), and the fear of embarrassment (B = 0.187) were the most significant (p < .001) quantitative influencers. Participants (30%) qualitatively conveyed a desire for comprehensive autistic education. Future study should explore public policy aimed at organizational education relative to qualified autistic candidates. This increased scientific understanding could help develop expanded public policy leading to decreased unemployment rates for autistics, increased organizational performance for all business types, and improved socioeconomic stability across the nation resulting from increased economic contributions and decreased social service expenditures.
Evaluating Factors of Autistic Hiring through Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior: The HASSQAC Scale
This study assessed the construct validity of the Hiring Agent Survey regarding Selection of Qualified Autistic Candidates (HASSQAC) through factor and reliability analysis. Empirical evidence demonstrated the HASSQAC effectively measures Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior regarding beliefs influencing hiring selection of autistics.KMO = .831demonstrated factor analysis sample adequacy (n = 212). The Bartlett test for sphericity was significant (p < .001). The first four factors explained 57% of the variance. A principal factor analysis with a forced 3 factor extraction using varimax orthogonal rotation constructed a clear conceptual picture of the relationships between items (factor loadings > .40). The 3 factors explained over 50% of the variance among the 45 items. Reliability analysis demonstrated significant Cronbach’s alpha (control = .923; normative = .846; behavioral = .901). Analysis of the 45-item scale demonstrated all but four factors were convergent with prior findings.
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