Labor market - Only 44 percent of companies employ disabled persons
In Thuringia, fewer than half of the relevant employers met their legal obligation to employ disabled people. According to the latest data from the Regional Directorate of the Federal Employment Agency, this so-called compliance rate was 44% in 2022. It was 44.7% in 2021.
Employers who fail to meet or only partially meet their employment obligations must pay a compensation fee to the Integration Offices. The fee is tiered based on the size of the business and the employment rate and amounted to between 140 Euros and 360 Euros per month in 2022. The fee aims to create a financial balance for potential additional costs in hiring disabled workers.
Rising Compensation Fees
With the Law on the Inclusive Labor Market, a higher compensation fee was introduced for those employers who do not comply with their employment obligations as of January 1, 2024. For these employers, the compensation fee may increase up to 720 Euros per month depending on the size of the business. The new tiered rates will take effect in 2025. Companies that employ disabled or equivalent employees in 2024 will see a corresponding reduction in the compensation fee.
According to the reports, there were approximately 24,500 disabled people socially insured and employed in Thuringia in 2022. Almost 80% of disabled people in employment were 45 years or older. Most worked in the manufacturing industry, public administration, or the social and health sectors.
Growing Importance of Inclusion
The promotion of the inclusion of disabled people in the workplace will become increasingly important due to demographic development, said Markus Behrens, Chairman of the Management Board of the Regional Directorate Saxony-Anhalt-Thuringia. To reduce prejudices, it is crucial that companies receive support. For example, there is a wide range of support instruments, from vocational training to wage subsidies and technical equipment.
- Despite the fact that fewer than half of the companies in Thuringia met their legal obligation to employ disabled individuals, there were approximately 24,500 disabled people socially insured and employed in the region in 2022.
- The employer fee for not complying with employment obligations towards disabled workers has seen a significant rise in Thuringia, with the fee increasing up to 720 Euros per month for non-compliant businesses as of 2024, according to the new Law on the Inclusive Labor Market.
- In order to encourage the inclusion of disabled individuals in the labor market, various support instruments are available for companies in Thuringia, such as vocational training, wage subsidies, and technical equipment, as highlighted by Markus Behrens, Chairman of the Management Board of the Regional Directorate Saxony-Anhalt-Thuringia.
