Different jobs
In the late 19th century, the majority of Finns worked in agricultural or manual work occupations. Most deaf people also worked in such jobs. In schools for the deaf, tuition gave pupils basic skills as artisans, and many deaf people also learned the profession by working with artisans. At the time, deaf people also worked as teachers, photographers and cartographers. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, many deaf people studied in art institutes, going on to work in art or industrial design. By doing so, they opened new doors for future generations of deaf artists.
Information on the jobs that deaf people held in the early 20th century can be found in the Helsinki deaf association’s membership register, in which members’ occupations were also recorded in 1899–1946. According to the register, most deaf people worked as artisans, factory workers, servants and builders. Men work most commonly as carpenters, while women typically worked as housemaids. Very few carried out non-manual work.
The student registers of the schools for the deaf also contained some information on the jobs that the students found after leaving school. The first ever systematic survey of occupations of deaf people was conducted as late as 1939. Then, the majority worked in agriculture or industry or as artisans. The survey revealed that the most common professions among deaf men were carpenter, cobbler or bookbinder. Women usually worked as housemaids, seamstresses or matrons.
Three quarters of deaf people lived in the countryside and 10% made a living out of agriculture. Farming was a less common source of livelihood for deaf people than for the hearing. In contrast, working as an artisan was more common among deaf people than for the rest of the population. Deaf people preferred to live in towns, where they had the opportunity to meet other deaf people. The majority of them supported themselves.
Economic slumps, such as the Great Depression of 1929–1933, affected the employment situations among the deaf more than the hearing population. The situation began to change gradually after the wars, but it was a slow process because old prejudices were hard to get rid of. Career counselling began in the 1940s and deaf people were typically recommended agricultural jobs. In the 1960s, new professions emerged, such as dental technician, optician and laboratory technician and various office jobs. Gradually, various career choice tests were implemented, which helped people choose a suitable profession.
In a survey conducted in 1972, the majority of about 1,000 respondents had trained at a vocational school for the deaf or other vocational training institute, at a vocational course or through apprenticeship. Just over a third of the respondents had had no formal training. Most of the respondents worked in the industrial sector, which included the conventional artisan occupations. Agriculture, forestry and the service sector were the next most common employers. New and emerging professions in the field of information technology also cropped up in the survey, with 20 respondents working as punched card makers. Almost half of the respondents had permanent positions.
Deaf associations made finding employment easier because information on good workplaces was passed on through them. As a result, several deaf people ended up working for the same employer, which made communication at work easier. Sometimes deafness also worked in the favour of the employee because employers appreciated their workers not spending time on socialising, the way hearing employees did.
There was no vocational training available specifically for Finland-Swedish deaf people, apart from a brief period in the 1950s when training was offered at the Porvoo school for the deaf. Because of this, many deaf Finns of Finland-Swedish background emigrated to Sweden where they could study and find work.
According to a survey carried out in 2000, about half of deaf people worked in industry. After industry, the biggest employers were the service sector, technical and scientific fields, the humanities and the arts, as well as administration. About 10% of deaf people worked in media. About 6% of deaf people worked in the social welfare and health care sector, with another 6% working in agriculture and forestry.