Fewer unemployed people with disabilities - just a brief recovery?
The number of unemployed people with disabilities in Lower Saxony fell last year. Compared to the previous year, their number fell by around four percent to 12,793, according to the latest Inclusion Barometer Work by Aktion Mensch and the Handelsblatt Research Institute. However, the trend in the current year shows that the figure has been higher again since February than in 2022.
This economic weakness is worsening the chances of people with disabilities on the labor market, the study authors warned on Thursday.
The unemployment rate also shows that there is still no equality for people with disabilities on the labor market, they said. Although the unemployment rate for people with disabilities fell slightly last year to just under 10 percent, it is still almost twice as high as the general rate.
The inclusion barometer also sees a problem in companies' unwillingness to hire. Almost 17,000 companies in Lower Saxony are required by law to offer at least five percent of their jobs to people with disabilities. Just under 37 percent of companies meet this quota. In contrast, more than one in four companies do not employ people with disabilities.
Despite the decrease in the number of unemployed individuals with disabilities in Lower Saxony, the upward trend in 2023 raises concerns about a temporary recovery in the labor market for people with disabilities. The ongoing challenge of unemployment among individuals with disabilities highlights the need for greater compliance with regulations requiring companies to hire a certain percentage of individuals with disabilities, as only 37% of companies in Lower Saxony currently meet this quota.
Source: www.dpa.com
