Resources search

Social protection measures for persons with disabilities and their families in response to the COVID-19 crisis: An updated overview of trends June 2021

UNPRPD
INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION (ILO)
June 2021

Expand view

An overview of social protection measures announced in response to COVID-19 that have made specific reference to persons with disabilities. Rather than seeking to provide an exhaustive survey of measures, it identifies the main characteristics and trends for social protection responses that specifically sought to support persons with disabilities during the crisis. This brief focuses on specific crisis response measures adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic, acknowledging that persons with disabilities also benefited from access to health care and income support provided through pre-existing social protection schemes and programmes. The document provides an update to an initial analysis in May 2020 (UNPRPD, 2020).

 

This overview draws on a database of social protection measures specifically relating to disability, which is provided as an Annex to this paper. 

An inclusive digital economy for people with disabilities

FUNDACION ONCE
ILO GLOBAL BUSINESS AND DISABILITY NETWORK
February 2021

Expand view

The objective of this publication is to increase awareness of the impact of a digital world of work on people with disabilities and identify actions needed to shape a future of work in a more disability-inclusive way.

 

Chapters include:

  • Current work situation of people with disabilities
  • Digitalisation: a trend of the future of work
  • A new world of work scenario for people with disabilities
  • Main levers for the digital inclusion of people with disabilities at work
  • A roadmap for an inclusive digital economy

Key issues on promoting employment of persons with disabilities

FREMLIN, Peter Torres
et al
April 2020

Expand view

This document brings together the technical advice of the disability team at the Gender, Equality and Diversity branch (GED) in the ILO. The information in this document is pragmatic guidance, rather than statement of institutional position. ILO positions can be found in the statements and standards that are linked to throughout

Disability-inclusive Social Protection response to COVID-19 crisis

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION (ILO)
et al
April 2020

Expand view

The COVID-19 pandemic and its related socioeconomic consequences magnify obstacles and inequalities. Persons with disabilities are in many ways more exposed to the crisis. Social protection, which, at any point in time, is critical for persons with disabilities, has proven to be a crucial vector of relief in the recent weeks. This brief presents several elements that can help make the most of the social protection systems response to COVID-19 to support persons with disabilities.

 

Joint brief by ILO, UNICEF, UN Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, International Disability Alliance, Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Promoting employment opportunities for people with disabilities: Quota schemes (Vol. 1)

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION (ILO)
December 2019

Expand view

Employment quotas represent one of the most frequently used policy measures to promote work opportunities for persons with disabilities. Slightly over 100 countries around the world currently provide for employment quotas in their national legislation. While some countries have had employment quotas for many decades, others have introduced them recently, revised them or are planning to introduce them. There is no standard approach.

 

This document (Volume 1) summarizes published information on quota schemes, to highlight elements of existing systems that are effective in promoting employment opportunities and making recommendations for approaches to take in introducing new systems or revising existing systems. In a further publication (Volume 2), an overview is provided of quota schemes by country and the extent to which quota schemes are in place alongside anti-discrimination legislation.

 

Case studies from France, Germany and Japan are provided.

Promoting employment opportunities for people with disabilities: Quota Schemes (Vol. 2)

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION (ILO)
December 2019

Expand view

Employment quotas represent one of the most frequently used policy measures to promote work opportunities for persons with disabilities. Slightly over 100 countries around the world currently provide for employment quotas in their national legislation. While some countries have had employment quotas for many decades, others have introduced them recently, revised them or are planning to introduce them. There is no standard approach.

 

The previous publication (Volume 1) summarizes published information on quota schemes, to highlight elements of existing systems that are effective in promoting employment opportunities and making recommendations for approaches to take in introducing new systems or revising existing systems. In this document (Volume 2), an overview is provided of quota schemes by country and the extent to which quota schemes are in place alongside anti-discrimination legislation.

 

 

Making the future of work inclusive of people with disabilities

ILO GLOBAL BUSINESS AND DISABILITY NETWORK
FUNDACION ONCE
November 2019

Expand view


This is a first exercise to connect different areas of debate, looking at the key trends of the future of work from a disability perspective and seeking to identify specific action needed in order to shape the future of work in a more disability-inclusive way.

Chapters include: Work and disability - overview of current situation; megatrends of future work and persons with disability (technological revolution, skills revolution, cultutral change, demographic change and climate change); and Roadmap for an inclusive future of work.

 

The following five key objectives for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the future of work have been identified:

1. New forms of employment and employment relations integrate disability inclusion

2. Skills development and life-long learning made inclusive of persons with disabilities

3. Universal Design embedded in development of all new infrastructure, products and services

4. Assistive technologies, existing and newly developed, to be made affordable and available

5. Measures to include persons with disabilities in growing and developing areas of the economy

 

Governments, companies, disability NGOs, trade unions and academia must be encouraged to commit and contribute towards achieving these objectives through different actions. An inclusive future of work can be reached through coordination and alliances among the different stakeholders

Persons with disabilities in a just transition to a low-carbon economy

HASAN, Maria
November 2019

Expand view

Implementing a just transition to a low-carbon economy that aims to leave no one behind will require a context-specific and locally determined mix of legal standards, social protection, skills development and attitudinal transformation that create an enabling environment for green jobs to perpetuate and decent work opportunities for persons with disabilities to proliferate. If done right, a just transition towards environmentally sustainable economies and societies for all can contribute to the goals of achieving social justice, decent work, social inclusion and the eradication of poverty. At this unique time that climate action is accelerating and the transition to green economies has started to take form, a just transition - that is inherently disability-inclusive - represents a unique opportunity to shape a future that works for all.

 

Topics discussed include: Persons with disabilities in a world of work confronted by climate change; Understanding the future of the world of work; Existing frameworks to guide action; An inclusive transition to a low-carbon economy; Key recommendations

Persons with disabilities in a just transition to a low-carbon economy

HASAN, Maria
November 2019

Expand view

Implementing a just transition to a low-carbon economy that aims to leave no one behind will require a context-specific and locally determined mix of legal standards, social protection, skills development and attitudinal transformation that create an enabling environment for green jobs to perpetuate and decent work opportunities for persons with disabilities to proliferate.

“I couldn’t wait to get started” -- Voices from inclusive workplaces in the Republic of Serbia - Good practice guide for the employment of persons with disabilities

OUCHI, Mariko
ILO Decent Work Technical Support Team and Country Office for Central and Eastern Europe
October 2019

Expand view

This brochure was prepared by the Serbian Association of Employers and published with the assistance of the International Labour Organization (ILO), under the framework of the United Nations Partnership for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD project) entitled “Autonomy, Voice and Participation of Persons with Disabilities in Serbia.”

 

The purpose of this brochure is to support employers in the process of recruiting persons with disabilities. It briefs readers on Serbia’s legal framework, and four illustrative cases present the voices of persons with disabilities and their employers alike

Labour market inclusion of people with disabilities: Paper presented at the 1st Meeting of the G20 Employment Working Group

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION (ILO)
ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC COOPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT (OECD)
February 2018

Expand view

A common understanding of how to approach the employment of persons with disabilities in a way that respects social justice, human rights and decent work as a key element of more inclusive economies and societies is sought. Having the employment of persons with disabilities on the G20 agenda is also a reflection of the increased attention to the rights of persons with disabilities both at a national as well as at an international level. The contribution focuses on one particular group of people with disabilities, namely those who may have been born with disabilities or may have developed some during their lives, but either way have remaining work capacities and are at working age. 

Employment-to-population ratio statistics for persons with and without disabilities are provided for some of the G20 countries. Economic and social determinants of low employment rates of people with disabilities are discussed.

 

Policies across G20 countries for the labour market inclusion of persons with disabilities are discussed

  • demand side - promoting disability inclusion within the private and public sector
  • supply side - ensuring that persons with disabilities have the skills as demanded by the labour market
  • making the environment more enabling 
  • mental health as a special challenge
  • measurement and quality data to inform evidence-based policies

 

Guide for business on the rights of persons with disabilities

WYNHOVEN, Ursula
et al
August 2017

Expand view

A guide to help improve business’ understanding of the rights of people with disabilities, including how to respect, support and give them an opportunity to improve their competitiveness and sustainability in alignment with relevant United Nations (UN) conventions and frameworks.

 

This guide is the result of an international collaborative effort spanning over 12 months. Its findings and recommendations are based on the following: desk research, a review of publically available information, literature and case studies, ongoing consultations with an international multistakeholder expert group constituted specifically to advise on and shape the development of this guide, good practice examples submitted by companies across the world to the partner organizations, and an extensive global consultation with interested businesses and other stakeholders. 

Mapping persons with disabilities (PWD) in Indonesia labour market: final report

Institute for Economic and Social Research Faculty of Economics and Business – University of Indonesia
2017

Expand view

Statistics Indonesia (BPS) launched its first national labour force survey (Sakernas) in 2016, with data involving disability. Although Sakernas only included one question regarding disability in the survey, it enables analysis on the current situation of PWD in the labour market which can improve policy design on persons with disabilities (PWD). This study attempted to map the condition of PWD in the Indonesian labour market using 2016 Sakernas data. The main point to be explored from the data is the socio-economic condition of PWD, the characteristics of employed PWD, and the wage distribution of PWD. The analysis is compared to the condition of people without disabilities (PWOD), for relevant context.

 

The report is presented in three parts. First, literature reviews regarding the definition and different measurements of disability, labour force participation of PWD and wage difference of PWD compared to PWOD are discussed. Second, a comprehensive elaboration of Sakernas 2016 on the relation of working status and socio-economic characteristics of PWD is presented, including the following: socio-economic characteristics between employed PWD and employed PWOD, income disparities between PWD and PWOD and the characteristics between employed and unemployed PWD. Third, an econometric model to test whether there is a significant difference in the probability of PWD securing employment and the criteria for employable PWD is examined.

Promoting diversity and inclusion through workplace adjustments: a practical guide

WONG Lisa
December 2016

Expand view

The purpose of a reasonable accommodation at work is not to unduly burden an employer, nor is it to grant one employee an unfair benefit or advantage over another. Reasonable accommodation in the workplace means providing one or more modifications or adjustments that are appropriate and necessary to accommodate a worker or job candidate’s individual characteristics or differences so that he or she may enjoy the same rights as others. Often, a reasonable accommodation may be made at little or no cost to an employer, and results in concrete benefits to both the employer and the worker.

When and how should a workplace accommodation be provided? When should a requested accommodation be considered both necessary and reasonable? This guide aims to assist employers of all sizes and in all economic sectors, to provide reasonable accommodation at all stages of the employment relationship, including in designing and advertising a vacancy, during selection and recruitment phase as well as during employment and in the context of return to work. This guide is a joint product of the Conditions of Work and Equality Department, the Governance and Tripartism Department and the International Labour Standards Department and is the third module in the ILO’s Promoting Equity series.

Social protection for domestic workers : key policy trends and statistics

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION INCLUSIVE LABOUR MARKETS WORKING CONDITIONS BRANCH
2016

Expand view

The objective of this report is to present systematized international information with respect to the configuration and practices of social security schemes for the domestic work sector. It systematizes, describes and analyses the main characteristics of social security schemes in terms of their personal scope, institutional organization, administration and coverage rates. Practices observed in selected countries that have achieved advanced levels of domestic work coverage have been systematized and complement this information.”

Decent work and poverty reduction strategies (PRS) : a reference manual for ILO staff and constituents

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR OFFICE (ILO)
2015

Expand view

This publication originated in 2003 as an ILO contribution to deliberations then taking place in preparation for the development of the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). By examining the development over time of the ‘right to work’ of persons with disabilities,1 how this matter has been dealt with in international instruments and national legislation to date, and experience around the world in promoting employment and work opportunities, the working paper enabled those involved in the preparation of the proposed CRPD to build on earlier achievements.

First edition 2005. Third edition 2015

The disabled beggar : a literature review

GROCE, Nora
LOEB, Marie
MURRAY, Barbara
September 2014

Expand view

Beggars with disabilities are among the poorest and most disadvantaged in society. Yet they are virtually invisible in the policy agenda of countries around the world, and are often overlooked in programme and advocacy efforts to improve opportunities for people with disabilities in general. This literature review originated as part of an exploratory study of beggars with disabilities in Ethiopia, published by the Leonard Cheshire Disability and Inclusive Development Centre in collaboration with the ILO in 2013 based on fieldwork undertaken by Professor Groce in Addis Abba. It has been updated and published separately as a contribution to debates on the social and economic inclusion of people with disabilities, on poverty reduction and social protection

Gender, Equality and Diversity Branch, Working Paper No. 1

Disabled beggars in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

GROCE, Nora
et al
May 2013

Expand view

This study brings together qualitative and quantitative data to better understand the lives of people with disabilities who beg in Ethiopia. It sets out to provide an initial understanding of the lives of disabled beggars with particular emphasis on determining social and economic factors, and sequences of events or patterns of behaviour that are common to people with disabilities who now work as beggars. Chapter 3 provides an overview of the demographic characteristics of the survey respondents, including their education and vocational training levels and work history. Additional attention was directed to identifying possible areas of intervention that might sever the links between disability and poverty. The study yielded a set of results that identify: the complex set of issues with which disabled beggars grapple; a series of points where targeted intervention by governments, UN agencies, NGOs and disabled people's organizations could help break the on-going cycle of disability and poverty; and choices that lead some men and women with disabilities to beg. The study contains recommendations for policy, programming and areas for further research
Employment Working Paper No. 141

Promoting equality and addressing discrimination - Disability: Inclusive approaches for productive work

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR OFFICE (ILO)
May 2013

Expand view

Part 6.3 of the ILO's "The Informal Economy and Decent Work: A Policy Resource Guide supporting transitions to formality"

Key challenges are discussed:

  • Marginalization from the mainstream economy
  • Weak data to support policy development
  • Attitudinal barriers and social exclusion
  • Low educational levels
  • Skills gaps
  • Labour market discrimination
  • Weak policy and legal environment

and emerging approaches and good practices are presented:

  • A rights based approach
  • Inclusive strategies
  • Addressing data challenges
  • Expanding labour market opportunities
  • Education policies
  • Overcoming skills gaps
  • Making training accessible
  • Community Based Rehabilitation 
  • Changing policy and legal frameworks
  • Awareness raising and knowledge sharing

Pages

E-bulletin