According to the Ministry of Social Policy, as of September 2023, there were three million people with disabilities in Ukraine. Over the past year and a half of the war, the number of Ukrainians with disabilities has increased by 300,000. It is obvious that the numbers will grow. Therefore, the issues of inclusion in our country have become urgent just yesterday.
But one should not think that the integration of people with disabilities and their employment is an exclusively Ukrainian problem. In March of this year, a group of researchers from the Australian Economic Center Bankwest Curtin released a huge 132-page report in which they criticized the existing state policy on the employment of people with disabilities.
According to researchers, the share of employed people with disabilities in the continental country in 2022 was 53.1%, which is much lower than the similar figure for people without this status – 81.8%.
At first glance, the figure is far from catastrophic. In Ukraine, for example, things are much worse with the employment of people with disabilities. According to the State Statistics Service and the Fund for Social Protection of the Disabled, only 16.2% of people with disabilities in Ukraine are employed.
However, Australians are concerned that the employment gap between people with and without disabilities has increased from 27.8% to 28.6% since 2001. This is even though the prevalence of disability has decreased from 18% to 14.4% over this period. As of 2022, 4.4 million Australians had a disability. That is not a small number for a country with a population of about 26 million.
It probably doesn't make much sense to delve into the intricacies of the Australian system of employment for people with disabilities. The authors of the report point to its quite understandable flaws that do not require in-depth analysis. For example, the distorted motivation that prompts recruiters, whose services are paid by the state, to primarily offer such people short-term work.
But as one of the main ways to improve the situation, researchers propose a completely classic bureaucratic solution - to create another Agency that would be responsible for analyzing current initiatives, their effectiveness, and searching for best global practices.
How effective this approach can be in Australia is debatable. But I think no one will have any doubts about Ukraine.
But the second important conclusion that the authors of the report make is more relevant and potentially effective for any country.
“Employer leadership appears to be a crucial factor in improving employment outcomes for people with disabilities, with leading companies encouraged to embrace inclusion as an element of organizational culture and values,” the report says.
This quote sounds quite vague, but in fact it has a fairly simple meaning. Which, by the way, was explained in simple words by the Chairman of the National Bank of Ukraine, Andriy Pyshny, the other day during the "Superhumans" conference.
"The NBU is preparing to be an inclusive employer. I recently met with a military man, Andriy Smolensky, who lost both arms and his eyesight. He is a financier and wanted to work at the National Bank. The challenge before us is to make sure he can do this. My message to employers: make sure those who return from the front can reintegrate," Forbes.ua quotes him as saying.
In other words, you can “fix” the general statistics by creating a fashion for inclusion. This should be written about to journalists, encouraging managers and owners of companies to adapt workplaces to the needs of people with disabilities. This should be discussed at forums and round tables. Write in press releases.
As for the state, it needs to create incentives. Not so much to demand, but to encourage business.
People with disabilities need to open up and simplify access to education. The above-mentioned report makes another important point: the chances of employment among people with disabilities who have higher education are 34.4% higher.
At the municipal level, we need to seriously address transport. After all, for 26% of Australians with disabilities, the problem with transport is the key reason for refusing a job offer. In our country, the situation is obviously much worse.
And most importantly: why even make efforts to overcome the segregation of people with disabilities?
First, it is a question of banal justice. Second, in the situation with Ukraine, it is the least that society and the country should do for their heroes. Those to whom they owe their freedom and country. And if that is not enough, here is another argument.
Australian researchers estimate that employing people with disabilities has a direct economic benefit: every additional 10% of employed people with disabilities brings $16 billion to the country's economy every year. This figure is only valid for Australia, but the trend will work anywhere in the world.
