Israeli Employers' Hiring Intentions for Recruiting Employees With Disabilities: How Do They Compare With U.S. Employers?

Focus groups were used to study differences between Israeli and U.S. nonprofit and for-profit employers' hiring intentions of potential employees with disabilities. Major differences were found between for-profit and nonprofit employers' hiring intentions rather than according to their national affiliation. However, U.S. for-profit employers would hire primarily entry-level and seasonal employees when market conditions allowed for it. In contrast, their Israeli counterparts thought that hiring people with disabilities at subminimum wage was an incentive to hire, regardless of the state of the economy. The findings are discussed with respect to the applicability of the theory of planned behavior and social work practice in the two countries.