Towards a better labour market inclusion for persons with disabilities in Europe and beyond
Developing disability-inclusive social protection systems, and providing training and skills development to persons living with disabilities are key to ensure their inclusion into the labour market, said the ILO.
At a high-level conference, Manuela Tomei, Director of the ILO Conditions of Work and Equality Department, welcomed the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030, launched by the European Commission last month.
The conference was organized by the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU and focussed on this Strategy and on issues that most affect disabled persons in their daily lives, such as accessibility, independent living, social services, employment and inclusive education.
The ILO contributed to the development of this Strategy during the consultation process. The strategy is comprehensive and ambitious, and combines disability-targeted interventions as well as disability inclusion through different mainstream activities.
“We welcome in particular the focus on better labour market inclusion for persons with disabilities, and the need for an improved application of the concept of ‘reasonable adaptation’, access to vocational education and training and access to social protection,” said Ms Tomei.
The cross-references to the need to include persons with disabilities in the implementation of other relevant EU instruments, such as the Council Recommendation on vocational education and training, are key to maximizing the strategy’s impact and ensuring policy consistency.
Disability inclusion is an important, ongoing concern for the ILO. The ILO played a leading role in the development of the UN disability inclusion strategy, and will shortly adopt a new overarching disability inclusion policy and a multi-year strategy to ensure that disability inclusion permeates all of its work. Disability inclusion has also been a focus of ILO’s efforts in the socio-economic response to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Ms Tomei discussed a few policy areas identified by the Strategy, in which further collaboration could be explored between the EU and the ILO.
First, she stressed the importance of social protection and services for persons with disabilities. Despite the fact that COVID-19 has disproportionately hit them, less than half of the 181 countries which adopted COVID-19 social protection responses in 2020 referred to persons with disabilities; and the measures specifically directed at them accounted for a significantly lower percentage. “In building forward, we need to develop disability-inclusive social protection systems that ensure effective access to health care and income security, including coverage of disability-related costs. General and disability-specific schemes should be combined in ways that would enable persons with disabilities to participate fully in education, employment and society,” said the Director.
Second, the construction of supporting models to an independent life should encompass activities in the fields of training, working conditions and job search. These activities should assure equal opportunities in the labour market for those living with a disability.
Third, to compete and gain access to decent work, persons with disabilities need to have the right skill sets, including digital skills. The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the sharp increase of telework and work on digital labour platforms, as a means to contain the spread of the virus. Their incidence is likely to remain significant also in post-pandemic times. The benefits of these work arrangements need to be maximized and the risks minimized, including for people with disabilities.
To ensure that they get their fair share of decent work in the digital economy, the ILO launched a report two months ago “An inclusive digital economy for people with disabilities”, which was developed with inputs from the European Commission and together with partners that benefited from EU funding. The report provides useful recommendations for all concerned on how to promote a disability-inclusive digital economy.
As for partnerships, within the framework of the ILO Global Business and Disability Network – a platform of almost 30 global companies, many of which have their headquarters in the EU, the ILO has acquired experience in promoting the employment of persons with disabilities in the private sector. At the same time, it has also worked with trade unions to enhance their attention, including within social dialogue, and services to deliver on disability inclusion.
The conference was organized by the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU and focussed on this Strategy and on issues that most affect disabled persons in their daily lives, such as accessibility, independent living, social services, employment and inclusive education.
The ILO contributed to the development of this Strategy during the consultation process. The strategy is comprehensive and ambitious, and combines disability-targeted interventions as well as disability inclusion through different mainstream activities.
“We welcome in particular the focus on better labour market inclusion for persons with disabilities, and the need for an improved application of the concept of ‘reasonable adaptation’, access to vocational education and training and access to social protection,” said Ms Tomei.
The cross-references to the need to include persons with disabilities in the implementation of other relevant EU instruments, such as the Council Recommendation on vocational education and training, are key to maximizing the strategy’s impact and ensuring policy consistency.
Disability inclusion is an important, ongoing concern for the ILO. The ILO played a leading role in the development of the UN disability inclusion strategy, and will shortly adopt a new overarching disability inclusion policy and a multi-year strategy to ensure that disability inclusion permeates all of its work. Disability inclusion has also been a focus of ILO’s efforts in the socio-economic response to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Ms Tomei discussed a few policy areas identified by the Strategy, in which further collaboration could be explored between the EU and the ILO.
First, she stressed the importance of social protection and services for persons with disabilities. Despite the fact that COVID-19 has disproportionately hit them, less than half of the 181 countries which adopted COVID-19 social protection responses in 2020 referred to persons with disabilities; and the measures specifically directed at them accounted for a significantly lower percentage. “In building forward, we need to develop disability-inclusive social protection systems that ensure effective access to health care and income security, including coverage of disability-related costs. General and disability-specific schemes should be combined in ways that would enable persons with disabilities to participate fully in education, employment and society,” said the Director.
Second, the construction of supporting models to an independent life should encompass activities in the fields of training, working conditions and job search. These activities should assure equal opportunities in the labour market for those living with a disability.
Third, to compete and gain access to decent work, persons with disabilities need to have the right skill sets, including digital skills. The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the sharp increase of telework and work on digital labour platforms, as a means to contain the spread of the virus. Their incidence is likely to remain significant also in post-pandemic times. The benefits of these work arrangements need to be maximized and the risks minimized, including for people with disabilities.
To ensure that they get their fair share of decent work in the digital economy, the ILO launched a report two months ago “An inclusive digital economy for people with disabilities”, which was developed with inputs from the European Commission and together with partners that benefited from EU funding. The report provides useful recommendations for all concerned on how to promote a disability-inclusive digital economy.
As for partnerships, within the framework of the ILO Global Business and Disability Network – a platform of almost 30 global companies, many of which have their headquarters in the EU, the ILO has acquired experience in promoting the employment of persons with disabilities in the private sector. At the same time, it has also worked with trade unions to enhance their attention, including within social dialogue, and services to deliver on disability inclusion.