In Census 2016, 36.5% of people with disabilities reported being in employment. I understand updated results from Census 2022 will be published in late 2023. As Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, I consider we have significant scope to improve the employment rate for persons with a disability and that increasing the numbers of people with disabilities participating in the labour market represents a significant opportunity for employers and the enterprise sector.
Increasing employment opportunities for disabled persons involves the tackling of barriers to labour force participation and a whole of Government response. The key frameworks for policy and action are the National Disability Inclusion Strategy (NDIS) and the Comprehensive Employment Strategy (CES). This is a cross-government approach that brings together actions by different Departments and state agencies in a concerted effort to address the barriers and challenges that impact on employment rates of people with disabilities. My Department is represented on the Steering Group for the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities 2015-2024 and are currently engaged with DCEDIY on a successor to that strategy.
In terms of specific employment schemes and programmes, the Department of Social Protection plays the lead role, supporting jobseekers, employees with disabilities, and private sector employers seeking to hire or retain a person with a disability. Supports are also provided for employers seeking to employ a jobseeker with a disability or supporting an employee who has a disability.
The Employment Equality Acts 1998-2015 come under the responsibility of my Department. The Acts place obligations on employers to take reasonable steps to accommodate the needs of employees and job applicants with disabilities. Denial of reasonable accommodation under the Acts can be a cause for action and may amount to discrimination on disability grounds. The Workplace Relations Commissions (WRC) deals with all complaints of discrimination, not limited to workplace complaints, made under the Equality Acts.
In addition, my Department has brought forward important enhancements to workers’ rights. The Sick Leave Act 2022 ensures that, for the first time, all qualifying employees will have an entitlement to employer-paid sick leave. This progressive Act commenced on 1st January 2023. Workers will be entitled to up to 3 days medically certified sick leave per year, rising incrementally to 10 by 2026.
The agencies under the aegis of my Department have a number of initiatives in place to help encourage employers to employ persons with disabilities:
• Enterprise Ireland is focused on ensuring that their supports for entrepreneurs and enterprise are accessible to all, including people with disabilities. EI have signed a partnership agreement with Open Doors to further develop awareness campaigns and programmes that will utilise success stories of self-employed and entrepreneur role models with a variety of disabilities.
• The Local Enterprise Offices are progressing a new online course Entrepreneurship for People with Disabilities which will begin in September 2023.
• While the remit of IDA Ireland is to attract and retain foreign direct investment, they have launched a Pilot Programme designed to widen the talent pool and attract people from diverse backgrounds to avail of employment opportunities. IDA Ireland is in the third year of its Work Placement Programme with the Open Doors Initiative.
• IDA Ireland will be returning as the headline sponsor for Legacy Dublin ’23. This programme is designed for future leaders to reimagine their community, their workplace and their environments 20 years into the future and they spend 3 days creating solutions that are rooted in inclusion and purpose. IDA will also be sponsoring 20 spaces for persons from underrepresented groups to attend. Last year’s spaces were filled from such organisations as Open Doors Initiative, MASI, Exchange House, Sanctuary Runners, Traveller Graduate Network, NCBI and Youth Reach.
• IDA Ireland promote access to reasonable accommodations during the application/recruitment process, onboarding, new hire induction and training sessions. All requests are handled confidentially on a case-by-case basis. The Reasonable Accommodation Passport is currently being piloted in the organisation.
Enterprise routes such as self-employment and entrepreneurship are increasingly important employment options for people with disabilities. Last year my Department commissioned the OECD to undertake a report to assess inclusive entrepreneurship training and provide recommendations on how to improve the provision of training interventions to improve their accessibility and impact. In conjunction with the Local Enterprise Offices, a working group is exploring options for the development of a bespoke programme for new entrepreneurs. Promotion of inclusiveness will be a key feature of any new programme.
