Across the EU, persons with disabilities are far less likely to be employed than persons without disabilities: according to the latest EU-level data, that persons with disabilities in the EU are 24.4 percentage points less likely to be employed than persons without disabilities. The situation is even worse for women with disabilities: on average only 48.3% of them are in employment. Among the most affected are persons with psychosocial disabilities and persons with intellectual disabilities.
The barriers to quality employment add to the problem of poverty and social exclusion faced by persons with disabilities. The latest EU-level figures from Eurostat suggest that 28.4% of all persons with disabilities in the EU live in poverty.
For the European Disability Forum, guaranteeing access to employment and occupation in the open labour market is a key issue, as it is a crucial aspect for the economic and social inclusion of 100 million persons with disabilities in Europe.