Return-to-work Motivation among Partially Disabled Individuals in the Netherlands

Abstract

Despite the emphasis on activation in social policy, the employment rate among people with disabilities in the Netherlands is in decline. As completely disabled individuals are exempt from obligations to return to work for the duration of their disability, these activating labour market policies mainly pertain to partially disabled individuals. The dominant response in social policy has been stimulation of labour market participation of partially disabled individuals through financial incentives and behavioral control. However, financial incentives are barely effective. This study investigated to what extent autonomy, perceived competence, social support and attitudes influence return-to-work motivation of partially disabled individuals in the Netherlands.