Community Rehabilitation
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A Valued Profession
Work in the community rehabilitation sector is admired and respected.
Workforce 2010 conducted a survey of the general public. Of the 800 people we asked, 84% to 90% believe that community rehabilitation:
- provides rewarding and satisfying work
- requires formal education
- is work that people admire and respect
Half of the people surveyed knew someone with a developmental disability or someone working in the sector.
The Challenges We Face
The results of our survey and the people we spoke consistently identified a set of challenges that face the community rehabilitation sector today. These include:
- low wages
- shortage of qualified workers
- job turnover
- lack of skills and education
- fewer new people entering the field
Low Wages—A Continuing Challenge
All our findings indicate that low wages are a major barrier preventing people from entering and remaining in the field.
Our Omnibus Survey shows that the general public perceives community rehabilitation work as being poorly paid. This is the #1 reason why people would not recommend a career in this area.
Job Turnover—Another Continuing Challenge
Turnover – remains consistently at about 32%
Each year, nearly a third of community rehabilitation workers leave their job and need to be replaced.
The unemployment rate for this sector is less than 3% (indicating a skill shortage).
Lack of Skills and Education
Nearly half of newly hired employees in community rehabilitation jobs are less qualified than the person they replace.
Lack of education is a concern. At least one-quarter of the workforce has high school or less.
Lack of Newcomers to the Community Rehabilitation Field
Enrolment in community rehabilitation programs is decreasing, even though enrolment in Alberta post-secondary institutions is increasing.
Between 1998 and 2003:
- enrolment in post-secondary institutions in Alberta rose by 16%
- enrollment in rehabilitation programs decreased by 20%
