Hello USA! Value for the disabled talent.

What if we told you we know about a massive pool of talented, loyal, hardworking individuals that could help your staffing agency grow? I’d be willing to bet your firm is always looking for people fitting that description. 

There are approximately 61 million adults with a disability in the United States. That means that nearly 1 in 4 people have some type of disability. In a labor market that continues to get tighter and tighter, perhaps it’s time for your agency to take a more strategic look at this pool of talent.

You likely have some questions or preconceived notions about what hiring a person with disabilities might mean for your agency. You might think that you or your clients will need to invest significant time or resources into making their worksites more accessible to this type of worker, but that’s not always the case. 

“The tight labor markets like we’re seeing in California and D.C. are a great opportunity for staffing agencies to demonstrate to their clients that candidates with a disability can be great employees with little to no additional cost.” says Calvin Sanders, Founder at Bolt Gigs, an agency Powered by Shiftgig.

In conversations with workers and staffing agencies regarding how to make candidates with disabilities succeed in the on-demand workforce, we found recurring themes around three key areas: building personal connections with the workers, coaching clients on the benefits of hiring employees with a disability, and the use of technology.