On the occasion of International Workers’ Day and ahead of the European election, the European Disability Forum calls on the next mandate to establish a “European Disability Employment and Skills Guarantee” that promotes quality employment of persons with disabilities.
Our 2023 report on the Right to work shows that persons with disabilities are much more likely to be unemployed or underemployed in the European Union. Only 51.3% of persons with disabilities are employed, compared to 75.6% of persons without disabilities.
The next mandate must significantly improve these disappointing numbers through the establishment of this “European Disability Employment and Skills Guarantee”. This guarantee must be supported by an earmarked budget from the European Social Fund to ensure employment in the open labour market. It must be modelled after the successful Youth Guarantee and:
- It should be open to people receiving disability allowance and allow them to retain this allowance when in work, training, or education.
- It should not have any age restriction.
- A strand should be allocated to assist in providing reasonable.
- Accommodations for the person at work through both technical and financial support.
- The Guarantee should emphasise employment in the open labour market. It should exclude sheltered workshops exclusively for persons with disabilities, where workers do not have the legal status of employees and are not paid in line with minimum wage requirements.
Yannis Vardakastanis, President of the European Disability Forum, said:
Persons with disabilities have the right to work, but more, it’s our right to have support, accommodation, and an accessible environment – and this is not our reality in the Union. The Union needs to commit to guaranteeing the dignified, quality employment that so many have fought for during the years.
Photo Credit: Cislo Jacek