Dayton Redoubles Focus on Disability Worker Hiring

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Minnesota state officials are redoubling their efforts to hire more workers with disabilities.

Gov. Mark Dayton announced Thursday he's re-launching two hiring programs toward that end. One program called Connect 700 gives potential workers with disabilities a 700-hour trial to find a better job match. A second program offers 50 full-time positions that can be shared by employees with disabilities.

It's part of Dayton's goal to increase employment for people with disabilities up to 7 percent of the state workforce by 2018. He said Thursday they've reached 6.2 percent but there's more work to be done.

Dayton and others hope their efforts signal to employers across the state that it's an important goal. Minnesota has among the worst employment rate for workers with disabilities in the nation.