Increasing employment rates of people with disabilities

A new report from the Danish National Institute of Social Research (Socialforskningsinstituttet, SFI ) shows that, while there is a legal framework for retaining and integrating disabled people in the labour market, lack of knowledge about specific public schemes on the part of the relevant actors has so far constituted a barrier to improving employment levels among this group.

Up to 20% of the Danish population aged between 16-64 years report having a disability or longstanding health problems. Back and neck problems are the most common illnesses, comprising 28% of all reported health problems (Statistics Denmark, 2002). These trends are not significantly different from other EU countries (Eurostat, 2003).

Regulatory measures

Since the late 1990s, the Danish government has launched a range of initiatives promoting the equal treatment of disabled people in the labour market. Aimed at increasing overall employment participation levels, another important objective behind the action plans has been to improve the quality of working life for disabled people. Changes in the legislative and regulatory framework, combined with concrete action measures at workplace level, have significantly increased employment opportunities for disabled people. However, the employment rate among people with disabilities remains much lower than among the rest of the Danish population.

The report also shows that the lower employment rate is most apparent among disabled people reporting reduced work capacity.

Barriers to integration

The study finds that the overall legal framework is in place for the integration and retention of disabled people in the labour market. However, the main obstacle to introducing specific action measures for this group is the lack of knowledge about the possibilities provided in the regulatory framework. For instance, there is little awareness among companies, disabled people and other relevant actors concerning the availability of public schemes such as compensation of employer expenses for specially designed workplaces, subsidies for personal assistants at the workplace, or reduction of working hours.

The study also points to the fact that attitudinal barriers in relation to employing people with disabilities still exist among both employers and employees. At organisational level, the study notes that there is insufficient coordination between action measures from the local government (kommuner) and the national employment services (Arbejdsformidling, AF). This creates a further obstacle to improving employment opportunities among disabled people.

About the study

The study is funded by the National Labour Market Authority (Arbejdsmarkedsstyrelsen ) and is based on quantitative as well as qualitative research data. The quantitative data are derived from the Danish 2002 labour force study, which included a module consisting of 11 variables dealing with the prevalence, type, cause and duration of longstanding health problems or disabilities, and the kind of work limitations and assistance needed or provided in order to work. The qualitative research is based on 60 personal interviews with disabled people, human resource managers, shop stewards and job consultants.

The report, Disabled people and employment, is available in Danish online from the Danish National Institute of Social Research (Socialforskningsinstituttet, SFI).