Despite labour shortage in B.C., there’s a waiting list for jobs for persons with disabilities
January 4, 2023
For the past four months, Special Olympian George Doykov has been taking the bus twice a week to his new maintenance job at a Superstore in North Vancouver, feeding empty boxes into the trash compactor.
“I’m a friendly guy and I’m helpful. I like working there to help the people out and to be friendly. I like working hard,” said Doykov, 27, wearing a shirt and tie for an online call with a reporter.
“I have nice co-workers and they help me out and they’re friendly to me.”
Doykov, who has competed in the Special Olympics in six sports and has a handful of medals, landed the gig with support from CBI Consultants, a private employment agency that finds employers to hire people who may have difficulty finding work because of a disability. The agency receives funding from Community Living B.C., a provincial Crown corporation.
Samantha Lutz, an employment specialist at CBI, said even in today’s job market where there is a widespread labour shortage, there is still a big challenge finding employers who will hire applicants with disabilities.
Source: Vancouver Sun
