Disability and chronic disease

A recent Eurofound report on employment opportunities for economically inactive people examines groups within the inactive population that find it difficult to enter or re-enter the labour market and explores the reasons why. It maps the characteristics and living conditions of these groups, discusses their willingness to work and examines the barriers that prevent them from doing so. 

An earlier study on employment opportunities for people with chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, arthritis and mental health problems in the EU Member States and Norway. People with a chronic disease may have a reduced working capacity and experience difficulty staying at or returning to work. The report looks at the prevalence of people suffering from chronic diseases, their employment situation, uneven distribution among occupations and sectors, and working conditions. It looks at policies and measures adopted by governments, social partners and enterprises to improve employment prospects and working conditions of people with chronic diseases.

Eurofound research has examined the situation of young people with disabilities or health problems, a group that faces particular difficulties in accessing employment. The research was carried out in 11 Member States and at EU level, with an emphasis on assessing the implementation of active inclusion policy at national level. As well as an overview report, national reports for Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and the UK are available.