Study sees disadvantages for people with disabilities
According to a new study, people with disabilities continue to be structurally disadvantaged on the labor market. Above all, the insufficient willingness of companies to hire people stands in the way of improvement, reported Aktion Mensch in Bonn on Thursday in its latest Inclusion Barometer. "More than a quarter of companies in Germany that are obliged to do so still do not employ people with disabilities," it said. This also applies to North Rhine-Westphalia.
Employers with 20 or more employees are obliged to employ severely disabled people. If an employer does not meet the mandatory quota of five percent, they must pay a monthly compensatory levy for every unfilled mandatory job.
According to the study, the number of unemployed people with disabilities in NRW fell by an annual average of around three percent in 2022 compared to 2021 - to 50,800. However, since March 2023, the figure has been higher again than in 2022. "The economic downturn has now also reached the labor market," explained the President of the Handelsblatt Research Institute, Bert Rürup. The institute compiled the inclusion barometer for Aktion Mensch. The shrinking overall economic output expected for 2023 is also clouding the labor market opportunities of people with disabilities.
At almost 14%, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities in NRW in 2022 was still more than twice as high as the general rate. People without disabilities also had more than twice as much chance of finding a new job as people with disabilities. "Germany is still miles away from achieving equal rights - almost 15 years after the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities came into force, which describes the right to participate in the labor market," commented Aktion Mensch spokesperson Christina Marx on the situation.
The organization pointed out that more than 36,000 companies in North Rhine-Westphalia are required by law to assign at least five percent of their jobs to people with disabilities. However, the proportion of employers who had filled all mandatory jobs had fallen to almost 44% in 2022. In contrast, almost one in four companies still do not employ any people with disabilities. Despite the shortage of skilled workers, these companies are recklessly foregoing the potential of inclusion, said Marx. In comparison, there are more well-qualified specialists among people with disabilities, she emphasized.
The study highlights that aid organizations like Aktion Mensch are crucial in addressing the issue of disability discrimination in the labor market, as many companies in Germany and North Rhine-Westphalia fail to meet their mandatory quota of employing people with disabilities. The lack of employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities continues to be a significant barrier, with the unemployment rate for people with disabilities in NRW almost twice as high as the general rate in 2022.
Source: www.dpa.com
