What job would be sensible for me?

On their journey to a new position, job seekers answer various questions using a five-point scale. The integration specialists in Nottwil use the answers to create individual profiles and strategies that will allow people with spinal cord injury to find an appropriate job. To do this they use the “Job Matching” tool, which helps the reintegration specialists to find the best possible match between person and job. The better the “match”, the happier and more productive the person will be. This increases the likelihood that they will be able to perform their job healthily in the long term.

The new “Job Matching” tool compares a person’s physical and intellectual abilities, as well as their needs, with the requirements of around 1,600 professions from the Swiss labour market. The graphical representation of the results shows the specialists how likely a return to the previous job is and also highlights possible discrepancies that still need to be dealt with in order to get the person’s preferred job. If adjusting the previous job is not sufficient, a new professional focus may be required with additional education or retraining. The tool helps to find the right career goals and determine the support that will be required by comparing the person’s profile with their intended job description.

The tool has been in use for occupational reintegration at ParaWork since the spring of 2020. It cannot replace the work of specialists, but it supports them during the planning, documentation and evaluation of suitable measures. “If, after two months of training, a patient can already see what improvements they have made on the chart, this can have an incredibly motivating effect,” says psychologist Marina Nützi. It is easier for the person living with spinal cord injury to focus on new goals and leave their previous professional life behind.

The “Job Matching” tool was created in Nottwil during a five-year collaboration between Swiss Paraplegic Research and ParaWork. “It was important to us to research and develop something that can be used in clinical practice,” explains Marina Nützi. “The tool is intended to offer direct benefits to people with spinal cord injury.”