Surveying Supported Employment in Finland: A Follow-up

The longitudinal status of supported employment in Finland was examined via a 2003 nationwide survey sent to job coaches involved in supporting workers with intellectual and other disabilities. Sustained supported employment, defined as “paid work in integrated settings with ongoing supports that contained at least two on-site visits per month at the worksite” was identified at 22 organizations that supported 52 workers. The results of the current survey were compared with those gained from similar surveys conducted in 1998, 1999, and 2001. Comparison of data over a 6-year period showed a decline in the provision of intensive employment supports and appeared to reflect both a change in European public policy on employment supports, and a conceptual shift in supported employment from a paradigm for people with significant disabilities to a technical tool for the employment of people with limited support needs. Along with this change, supported employment agencies in Finland were found to have progressively barred people with significant disabilities from being their customers.