The Position of the Deaf in the Swedish Labor Market

The position of deaf people in the Swedish labor market is described and analyzed. A population of 2,144 people born from 1941 to 1980 who attended special education programs for the deaf was compared to 100,000 randomly chosen individuals from the total Swedish population born during the same period. Data on these individuals consisted of registered information from 2005. It was found that the labor market position of the deaf population was not as good as that of the reference population. It was also found that differences in sex, age, immigration background, level of educational attainment, and region of residence did not affect the difference between the two populations in regard to labor market position. Instead, deafness itself appeared to be a crucial factor. The study also indicated difficulties in finding longterm solutions to the deaf population's problems finding employment.