The persons with disabilities have to deal with a number of problems when looking for a job. A major barrier is the prejudice prevailing in society, according to which the persons with special needs are a burden and their employment can generate additional costs either because of reduced productivity or because of the need to adjust the workplace. These are some of the findings of a study carried out by the Center of Legal Assistance for Persons with Disabilities. According to the Center’s experts, the public authorities must become more actively involved in the process of overcoming the barriers and in changing society’s attitude to the persons with disabilities and their social integration, IPN reports.
In a roundtable meeting on June 25, the Center presented the study “Assessment of the problem of employment of persons with disabilities in Moldova” The goal of the activity was to engage all the interested factors in the formulation of relevant recommendations that would allow to reflect their opinions in the strategy for the employment of persons with disabilities in a balanced way.
The Center worked out the Strategy’s part that is to be drafted by the Government. It suggested that this part should contain special provisions concerning the employment of persons with disabilities. The old strategy does not contain such provisions. According to experts, the strategy’s policy measures should focus on the diversification of the employment services intended for disabled persons and extending the system of concessions and incentives provided to employers for creating protected workplaces. The network of community or regional counseling and vocational formation centers for persons with special needs should also be extended.
Nicolae Sadovei, expert of the Center of Legal Assistance for Persons with Disabilities, said that to improve the situation concerning the employment of persons with disabilities, the employers should be encouraged by exempting them from paying taxes, subsidizing the creation of protected jobs and by other methods. The employers should be also counseled how to adjust the workplaces and to ensure access to them for persons with disabilities.
Another expert of the Center Dorin Vaculovschi stated that the persons with disabilities are an important component of society, but the people’s perception and their intolerant attitude does not allow this category of people to realize their potential. As a result, these persons lose self-confidence and withdraw from the social live, including the labor market. Promoting a positive image of the persons with disabilities is one of the key measures that should be taken to socially integrate these persons. Another measure is to develop different enterprises of the social economy and the legal framework for running these.
Raisa Dogaru supported the Center’s proposal to continue to stage the Gala of Remarkable Employers, aimed at promoting the companies and institutions that employ persons with disabilities. It was mounted by the Center for the first time this May.
International Labor Organization national coordinator Ala Lipciu pledged to take into account the proposals of the Center’s experts when working out the national employment policies strategy for 2016-2020, especially as regards the inclusion of a chapter designed for persons with disabilities.
A comparative analysis of the employment level of persons with disabilities in seven countries – Sweden, Luxemburg, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, and Moldova – shows that Moldova ranks last with only 10% of these persons being employed. The households budget survey revealed that only 43% of the persons with disabilities older than 15 work, as opposed to 65.9% of persons without disabilities.
The event was staged within the project “Better employment opportunities for persons with disabilities” in cooperation with the Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family, with support from WJR, UK.
