한국 장애인의 고용실태는 비장애인과 비교하여 열악한 것도 중요한 특성이지만 OECD 국가들과 비교할 때 고용률과 실업률이 동시에 높은 것도 매우 중요한 특성이다. 고용률과 실업률이 동시에 높은 이러한 특성은 여러 가지 요인에 의한 것이겠지만 주로 소득보장제도의 역할이 미미한 데서 기인하는 것으로 보인다. 또한, 의무고용제도를 비롯한 장애인고용정책이 장애인고용에 기여하는 장애인고용영향률은 다른 나라들과 비교할 때 낮은 편인 것으로 판단된다. 이는 장애인고용의무의 부과강도가 낮고 또한 의무고용제도와 직업재활서비스 등 관련 정책이 상호 유기적으로 연계되지 못한 것이 주요 요인인 것으로 생각된다. 장애인들의 열악한 고용실태를 개선하기 위해서는 고용정책뿐만 아니라 소득보장정책의 역할을 강화해야 하며 고용정책과 관련해서도 의무고용제도에 집중한 대책보다는 직업재활서비스와 의무고용제도 간의 연계성을 강화하도록 정책방향을 근본적으로 전환해야 한다.

In general, the integration of the disabled in labor market is not as satisfactory as that of the non-disabled. Korea is not an exception. However, in comparison with other OECD countries, both the employment and unemployment rates of the disabled in Korea are high. This is quite unique since it is generally believed that employment rates and unemployment rates have negative correlations. This singular characteristic is more evident in relative terms of the integration of the disabled in labor market. By comparison, the employment rates of disabled Koreans are 70% of those of non-disabled Koreans (OECD average: 60%) and the unemployment rates of the former are 300% of those of the other (OECD average: 180%). One important reason behind these peculiar results quite different from those from other OECD countries is the immature and insufficient income maintenance for the disabled in Korea. The percentage of disabled Koreans who earn no income from either work or benefits is 40%, which is about three times of the OECD average. Moreover, although Korea has been operating a mandatory quota system for the disabled, its contribution to the employment of the disabled seems to be low compared to that of other OECD countries whose policies are mainly based on a mandatory employment quota. In Korea, only about 10% of the economically active disabled are employed by the mandatory quota system. This modest performance is mainly caused by low levels of obligations on employers and gap between the quota system and vocational rehabilitation services. It is necessary to increase income maintenance for the disabled in order to help them integrated into labor market and transform employment policies in order to develop a link between the quota system and vocational rehabilitation services.