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The role of employment in dual recovery from mental illness and substance use is scarcely addressed in previous studies and a deeper understanding of this issue is needed. The purpose of this paper is to cast further light on the conditions that either facilitate or block the road to employment for dually diagnosed people (DDP) and how these conditions could either promote or hinder recovery.

Drawing on the principles laid out by health researchers Sandelowski and Barroso (2007), the study is designed as a qualitative meta-synthesis comprising a systematic literature search, a critical assessment of the identified studies and an integrative synthesis of the articles’ findings.

The synthesis outlines that the findings from the seven identified studies show a recovery process in which unemployed, DDP are becoming employed people – or where there is an attempt to restore their status as working persons – and how this process is driven or hindered by personal, interpersonal and systemic facilitators or barriers.

The synthesis adds nuances to the understanding of employment in dual recovery processes and suggests that unconnected means of, and goals for, intervention among these individuals and systems might reduce the chances of DDP obtaining and maintaining a job.

The paper calls for more advanced research and policy on the multiple – and often contradictory – aspects of gaining and maintaining employment as part of dually diagnosed persons’ recovery.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how formerly incarcerated men remained resilient in the face of adversity while searching for and maintaining employment.

Grounded theory analysis is used to answer the following research questions: What challenges do formerly incarcerated men encounter in finding and maintaining employment? What strategies do they devise in the face of these barriers? The research entailed 24 face-to-face, semi-structured, in-depth interviews at a Reentry Center in a northeastern state between February 2016 and July 2017.

The authors present a model of resiliency in the job-seeking and maintaining process. It illustrates the non-linear and complex nature of employment experiences, in which men encountered cycles of anxiety and pressure, and yet also devised resilience strategies fostering growth and adaptation. These processes required adept management of adversities such as involvement with the criminal justice system and the attending social stigma. Shifting mental and behavioral frameworks, adapting and refining expectations for work and adopting a future orientation were essential for participants’ growth. Finally, findings revealed participants’ resiliency strategies were bolstered by pro-social outcomes.

The challenges and barriers to employment for formerly incarcerated men are well documented, but less is known about the processes men employ in order to gain legitimate employment. This paper explores an understudied area of the criminal justice and employment literature – how men demonstrate agency and tenacity in the reintegration process, specifically related to seeking and maintaining work.

Multidimensional fit (MDF) has been coined as “elusive” and relevant to an individual’s social identity and self-concept, unfolding over time as individuals assess their fit relative to Person-Organization, Person-Vocation, Person-Job, and Person-Team Fit. In this chapter, the literature as it relates to the refugee employment journey, MDF, and HRM practices that facilitate or inhibit MDF is reviewed. Furthermore, in this study, the process-oriented view of the refuge path highlights the complexity of their experience, noting an array of antecedents as they relate to country, host country and individual differences, interventions through NGOs, refugee resettlement agencies, and organizations, as well as the less explored entrepreneurial path. These diverse paths and the process of finding fit, and the obstacles refugees face, are viewed through the lens of shocks and reassessment of MDF throughout their journey. Finally, the study’s outcomes illustrate individual wellbeing factors, organizational level benefits, as well as community level benefits to MDF.

This purpose of this paper is to review evidence about the barriers and facilitators to ex-service personnel obtaining employment within social care roles. Social care has long-standing, well-recognised problems of staff recruitment and retention. Policymakers and employers are exploring if there are untapped sources of potential employees. Some ex-service personnel may be interested in exploring a move to social care work with older people but may face barriers to such a move which may need to be addressed.

Databases and grey literature were searched systematically to provide an overview of evidence on this topic. In total, 23 articles were included in the review.

A narrative analysis revealed barriers to ex-service personnel obtaining employment within social care not only related to their previous occupation, health status and identity but also facilitators related to the sector’s severe recruitment challenges and the transferable skills of ex-service personnel. Evidence suggests that learning from health services may be highly relevant and transferable.

This review was confined to English language studies published between 2008 and 2018. Few mentioned specific user or client groups.

This review identified evidence suggesting that learning from health services may be highly relevant and transferable to the social care sector so as to facilitate the transition of more ex-service personnel into social care work with older people.

This paper aims to identify common barriers to employment of autistic people and reasonable adjustments that address those barriers; to define autistic strengths and see how the prevailing narrative of autism is affecting employment.

This is a qualitative review of an online consultation amongst a group of 34 autistic adults that took place during April–October 2019. It includes anecdotal accounts and reviews of the themes contained therein.

Key barriers are, namely, deficit narrative of autism; misunderstandings and prejudices amongst senior management and work colleagues; bullying and peer pressure to isolate the autistic employee, leading to anxiety and mental health breakdown in absence of social support; managers making discriminatory choices believing it is the right business decision; the discriminatory nature of provisions, criteria and practices, failing to recognise strengths. Rather than imposing the manner of work, reasonable adjustments should be made to enable the autistic employee to function in his autistic way, achieving results.

Qualitative nature; small self-selecting sample online; functioning and diagnosis not verified, themes derived subjectively.

The need to change the deficit narrative and redefine autistic strengths by autistic people themselves, to legitimise and normalise autistic way of functioning and adjust the managerial provisions, criteria and practices accordingly. Coaching autistic leaders to be the public role models would also help.

Identifying barriers and reasonable adjustments, from the perspective of lived experience. A new framework of assessing autistic competence and suitability for employment is proposed.

People who have used mental health services in Scotland have the lowest employment rates of all working ages, despite a national programme for mental health and well‐being that provides significant investment in anti‐stigma initiatives and employment support services. This paper qualitatively identifies barriers to employment from the perspectives of people who have experienced mental health issues by conducting in‐depth focus groups with 20 people who have experienced mental health issues undertaken through collaborative research involving people who have experienced mental health issues alongside practitioners and academics. Researchers who have experienced mental health issues instigated and determined the direction, execution and dissemination of the study. The findings add to the growing evidence base outlining the complex and interlinked barriers to employment which include previous experience of workplace discrimination, financial uncertainty, disclosure concerns, quality of jobs available and the potential of work at times to worsen mental health conditions. Despite this, most participants expressed hopefulness and resilience. Many wanted paid work and outlined practical steps that employers can take in terms of recruitment and retention. However, participants also stressed the equal importance of voluntary work and not just as a step to paid employment. A multiple‐perspectives approach provides important insights into the complex and sensitive policy area of mental health and employment. Meaningful involvement of people who have used mental health services should be a central aspect of further research that aims to understand and address these barriers. This study has shaped the development of a national service user research consortium in Scotland.

The world of work is changing and creating challenges and opportunities for the employment inclusion of young people with disabilities. In this article, the perceptions held by young adults with disabilities regarding participation in the future of work are examined.

One-on-one interviews were conducted with Canadian young adults (ages 18–36 years) living with a disability. Participants were asked about their thoughts regarding the impact of the changing nature of work on their labor market involvement and career aspirations. A thematic analysis was performed to identify and examine emergent salient themes.

In total, 22 young adults were interviewed; over half held secure employment. Career aspirations and work-related decisions were primarily shaped by a participant's health needs. The future of work was seen as a more proximal determinant to employment. Digital technologies were expected to impact working conditions and create barriers and facilitators to employment. Participants who indicated being securely employed held positive expectations regarding the impact of digital technology on their work. Participants working precariously held negative appraisals regarding the impact of digital technologies on employment opportunities. The role of technological and soft skills was critical to participating in a labor market reliant on advanced technology. Participants reported barriers to developing job skills related to their disability and their work arrangements.

This research highlights the importance of considering changes in the future of work, especially the digital transformation of the economy, in the design of initiatives which promote the employment inclusion of young adults with disabilities. Despite the significance of the changing nature of work, supporting health needs and encouraging access to secure work arrangements also remain paramount.

This paper aims to contribute to prior gender-based conceptual models within organisational and management studies by incorporating an additional lens of disability. The authors present a context specific and embodied based model that we call the “two-way mirror effect” which accounts for the environmental and discursive effects of gender and disability within the workplace.

The paper reviews existing literature on gender, disability and employment and uses that literature to construct and support the concept of a two-way mirror effect.

By drawing on organisation and management-based studies, the authors have shown how previous models do not currently account for the experiences of disabled women within the workplace. Disabled workers, and especially disabled women face a myriad of unique barriers, including masculine and able-bodied employment practices (e.g. performative expectations) and exclusionary physical spaces (e.g. access, location to required facilities), that exclude them from full employment participation.

The review of existing literature and conceptual models reveal the gaps in research that academics and practitioners can build upon and the paper identifies the dominant norms that are embedded within organisational practices, which can be challenged to promote inclusion and equality.

The authors present a new intersectional-based conceptual model to fill a gap in organisational and management-based studies that accounts for the unique employment experiences of disabled employees, specifically disabled women.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the association of social networks with being in work, contrasting those under age 50 with those over 50 years.

A case study is undertaken of a local labour market in Scotland. Data were collected by interview using a semi‐structured questionnaire from 194 people divided into four groups. Data include information on individuals' socio‐economic characteristics and on their networks. A four‐way comparison is made by age and employment status.

Those in work have denser social networks populated with members with higher social and human capital. For those over 50 years, the more contacts one has with higher prestige employment positions (a proxy for social capital), and the stronger the ties with these contacts, the more likely that one is to be in employment. For those under 50 years, their own qualifications and the number of contacts are important.

This work adds to both research on employability and social networks.

The over 50s tend to be the age group that is most likely to be not in employment and as populations age there is a need to ensure that barriers to employment against those over 50 are reduced. Finding routes to reduce unemployment will also help combat social exclusion.

This is in the combination of a social network approach with age cohort analysis to give insight into how social capital is associated with being in employment.

The purpose of this paper is to give voice to the experiences of women with disabilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) who have accessed employment, to highlight the structural barriers to employment and to identify the skills they used to obtain work.

This is a phenomenological study conducted in KSA. Themes from the interviews of women with disabilities were explored using Yosso’s (2005) cultural capital conceptual framework.

The participants had work and career aspirations, persisted in their job search, navigated barriers, and had familial support and emotional support from their social networks, but lacked instrumental assistance in accessing work. KSA policies to support women and people with disabilities to obtain employment are not adequately enforced, and negative attitudes toward people with disabilities are widespread.

The sample size is small, but these preliminary findings justify the necessity for additional research and policy development specifically focused on women with disabilities.

There is an urgent need for existing policy enforcement and a need for a national strategy promoting the employment of women and the needs of women with disabilities should be specifically included in this agenda.

There is no extant research or policy literature regarding employment and women with disabilities in the KSA. This study applies Yosso’s (2005) theory of cultural capital to women with disabilities, demonstrating its applicability outside of race/ethnicity studies and suggests that “community” is not an essential factor in building employment success.