Opening Doors: Employer Perspectives on Employment Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities in Tangub City

Abstract

This study examined how selected merchandising businesses in Tangub City view employment opportunities for persons with disabilities (PWDs). It specifically described the applicant characteristics and competencies that employers consider and measured reported organizational commitment to PWD recruitment and employers’ disposition toward hiring PWDs. A descriptive-quantitative approach was used with 258 business owners, managers, and human resource practitioners. The researchers used a structured questionnaire adapted and modified from Saquin (2023) and Omar et al. (2021). Frequencies and percentages were used for applicant characteristics, while means and standard deviations were used for the employment-opportunity indicators. The responses showed that applicants aged 28–37 were most frequently considered, while applicants aged 58 and above were least selected. Male and female applicants were considered at nearly the same rate, and Senior High School graduates were the most frequently identified educational group. Hearing impairment was the disability type most often selected. Communication skills and computer application skills were the most frequently identified soft and hard skills, respectively. Employer commitment to PWD recruitment obtained a grand mean of 3.32, while disposition toward hiring PWDs obtained a grand mean of 3.28, both interpreted as Strongly Agree/Very High under the study’s scale. These findings describe the views and reported organizational orientations of employers; they do not measure actual PWD employment rates or the experiences of PWD employees. The results point to the need to strengthen formal hiring procedures, workplace support, and employer partnerships so that positive views can be reflected in sustained employment opportunities.