Background: Swedish employment rates are disproportionately low among people with intellectual disability and research on employment sustainability in this group is scarce. This study investigated employment sustainability among people with intellectual disability, with a focus on identifying facilitators.

Method: Fifteen persons with intellectual disability who were gainfully employed and had been so for at least 1 year during the last 3 years, and 10 representatives from their employers, were interviewed.

Results: Five facilitators were identified: (1) having tried various types of work, (2) liking to be at work, (3) balance concerning expectations and adaptations, (4) mutual engagement and flexibility, and (5) wage subsidies.

Conclusion: Employment sustainability needs to be understood at individual as well as environmental and societal levels. In addition, both duration and progress should be considered regarding employment sustainability in this population. 

Purpose Previous reviews about employment for people with intellectual disability (ID) have left questions about employment sustainability unanswered. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to identify and analyse research regarding employment sustainability for people with ID. The research questions were: What research about employment sustainability for people with ID has been published internationally between 2010 and 2020? In the identified studies, how is employment sustainability defined and measured and what are the main findings regarding employment sustainability?

Methods A systematic review was conducted using eight databases from various disciplines including medical, health, and social sciences. After a selection process, 10 articles remained, and a framework matrix was created to analyse them. An employment sustainability definition was used as an analytical tool.

Results Ten articles were identified as being about employment sustainability for people with ID. Five of them used qualitative designs and five used quantitative designs. Only four out of ten contained a definition of employment sustainability, and there was an inconsistency in measurement methods. The reported findings in the studied articles were categorised into three types: proportions of long-term employed individuals within the studied population, facilitators and barriers to long-term employment.

Conclusions There is only a limited amount of research about employment sustainability for people with ID. Nevertheless, a few facilitators and barriers could be identified. There is no consensus about how to define or measure employment sustainability, making comparisons difficult.