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This paper was presented at the 9th congress of the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual Disabilities, Gold Coast, August 1992. The author states that any examination of the vocational options available for people with intellectual disabilities must be seen in the context of international trends in employment generally, as well as the philosophical, economic and cultural contexts of the particular country. Prior to the 1970s, employment was seen as being in institutions and a day activity. But research results in the 1970s encouraged the idea of real work for real pay in community settings. However, how people with intellectual disabilities have fared in employment has fluctuated as a result of attitudinal changes and economic instability. Keywords: Employment