FCB Canada and the Canadian Down Syndrome Society launch

TORONTO, Nov. 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In the midst of a labour shortage, FCB Canada and the Canadian Down Syndrome Society (CDSS) launched a solution: Inployable, the world’s first online employment resource for people with Down syndrome.

With millions of jobs vacant, employers are struggling to find qualified candidates to fill these roles. A solution that has been long overlooked is the Down syndrome community. Over 50% of people with Down syndrome struggle to find paid work, as they’ve been wrongfully perceived as less capable and less valuable within the workforce. An additional barrier to employment is connection: If employers do have interest in hiring someone with Down syndrome, there’s currently nowhere to connect with them digitally.

Working with its long-standing partner, FCB Canada and CDSS created Inployable, a recruitment community with LinkedIn to make discovering and hiring people with Down syndrome easier.

The community will also feature key resources for prospective employers, such as FAQs and additional guides to help them in creating inclusive hiring and training processes.

Inployable solves two key barriers for employers. First, it directly connects them with ready-to-work individuals with Down syndrome, and second, it provides them with resources to close the information gap on hiring them.

When creating a profile for the Inployable community, individuals with Down syndrome have the option to connect with a Canadian LinkedIn Coach, to assist them with the set-up process. The coach can help with profile setup, adding new, relevant skills like punctuality, low absenteeism, meticulous attention to detail, organizing inventory skills, loyalty, to their LinkedIn profiles and teach the individual how to properly use the platform.

“Although many people with Down syndrome have demonstrated abilities and aspirations to engage in meaningful work in the community, a large percentage of the Canadian population with Down syndrome remains unemployed, are under-employed, or may not be working to their full potential,” says Laura LaChance, Executive Director, CDSS. “This initiative addresses that disparity. People with Down syndrome have a right to be employed in the community, where they can work alongside people of all abilities and earn competitive compensation.”

In addition to helping address employee shortages, hiring people with Down syndrome has been proven to have positive impacts on all levels of an organization—including client and customer satisfaction, workplace culture, staff morale, and more. There are also numerous proven benefits at the individual level, such as lower turnover and absenteeism rates, as well as increased motivation, and attention to detail.

The bold “I’m Inployable” video that accompanies the launch stars individuals with Down syndrome sharing their thoughts on how the current hiring system values their resumes: overlooked, underrepresented, and not worth the paper they’re printed on. They want to work, and they want to be seen as valuable contributing members of the workforce. They demonstrate their displeasure with the help of chainsaws, liquid nitrogen, and a woodchipper, making way for a new and better way of hiring — Inployable.

The launch film is being supported by hyper-targeted videos featuring members of the Down syndrome community speaking directly to specific North American companies within sectors most in need of staff. There is a supporting media buy to amplify awareness amongst business owners and HR personnel across North America.

The launch of Inployable is a call to action for the Down syndrome community to join the community and add their profiles to provide a rich resource for employers to find recruits and to post their open roles.

“This year we wanted to portray the Down syndrome community in a different light, to let companies know that there is an untapped community ready to get to work,” adds Andrew MacPhee, Executive Creative Director, FCB Canada. “The Inployable campaign is about providing the community with independence through equal access to jobs and employers.”

Strategy and creative were handled by FCB Canada, with production by Suneeva, editing by Married to Giants, visual effects by Wingman VFX, audio by Grayson, and media by Initiative.

General facts:

56% of individuals with Down syndrome aren’t in paid work positions (26% in volunteer positions, 30% without paid or volunteer positions) (source)
92% of consumers prefer to support companies that hire people with disabilities. (source)
73% of employees report that they strongly agree that their coworkers with Down syndrome are contributing just as much as other employees, if not more, to their organization. (source)
Companies that hire people with disabilities found that revenues were 28 percent higher, net income 200 percent higher, and profit margins 30 percent higher (source)
In one study, the absenteeism rate for 46 employees with disabilities was 85% lower than for 200 workers without disabilities (source)
The current Down syndrome generation is going to be the first one to outlive their parents. As recently as 1983, the average lifespan of a person with Down syndrome was 25 years, today the average lifespan is 60 years - or even longer (source). For most, this means outliving their primary support system. However, they are on the cusp of living independently, and gainful employment would greatly improve their ability to be self-sufficient.

About the Canadian Down Syndrome Society:
Founded in 1987, the Canadian Down Syndrome Society (CDSS) is the national source of expertise promoting the abilities and contributions of people with Down syndrome. CDSS provides reliable information and connections to people with Down syndrome and those who support them, while positively shaping the social and policy contexts in which they live. Visit http://www.cdss.ca/ for more information about CDSS.

About FCB Canada:
FCB (Foote, Cone & Belding) is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies comprising more than 8,000 people in 109 operations in 80 countries (NYSE: IPG). FCB is a global, fully integrated marketing communications company with a heritage of creativity and success dating from 1873. FCB Toronto was named Cannes Strategy Agency of the Year in 2022 and was the most awarded Canadian creative agency at Cannes Lions in 2017, 2018, and 2019. FCB Canada was named Digital Agency of the Year five years in a row by Strategy magazine in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. FCB Canada has operations in Toronto and Montreal that include FCB/SIX (a first-of-its-kind creative data and CRM agency), Fuel Content (content creation), and Segal (licensing). FCB focuses on creating “Never Finished” campaign ideas for clients that reflect a deep understanding of the brand’s past, a respect for the present, and an anticipation of the future potential. To learn more about FCB Canada visit fcbtoronto.com or fcb.com and follow us on LinkedIn: FCB Canada and on Instagram: @FCB_Canada

About FCB
FCB (Foote, Cone & Belding) is a global, award-winning and integrated marketing communications company with a heritage of creativity and success dating from 1873. Named Cannes Lions 2022 #2 Global Network, 2022 Ad Age A-List, 2022 Fast Company Most Innovative, Cannes Lions 2020/2021 Global Network of the Year, Adweek 2020 Global Agency of the Year and the #1 Global Network on The Good Report, FCB focuses on creating Never Finished campaign ideas that have the power to transform brands, businesses and communities. With more than 8,000 people in 109 operations in 80 countries, the company is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG). Visit fcb.com or follow @FCBglobal on Instagram and Twitter and FCB Global on Facebook and LinkedIn.