What are the barriers that disabled people face in finding their ideal job is the question that MSPs on the Economy and Fair Work Committee will be asking as part of work into the issue.
Statistics show that people with a disability in Scotland have a lower employment rate than non-disabled people. The Scottish Government also has a target to half the disability employment gap by 2038 within the Fairer Scotland for disabled people – employment action plan. This work will try and identify what barriers exist and what more can be done to help disabled people and employers.
Claire Baker MSP, Convener of the Economy and Fair Work Committee said: “There have been some really good examples of where employers have put in place measures to make sure that everyone, regardless of their background, is able to get and keep a job.
“But we know that this is unfortunately not the case for every disabled person who is actively looking for employment.
“We want to hear directly from people about these barriers and what more we as policymakers can do to help make looking for a job a more equitable experience for everyone.”
The Committee is asking for those interested in this issue to give us their views. We’ll be asking for views on the following issues:
What progress has been made to reduce and remove barriers faced by disabled people to access Scotland’s labour market?
What are the remaining challenges, and why has progress been difficult?
What policy measures would you like to see to support disabled people and employers to increase participation rates?
What has been the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on disabled people’s experience of the labour market?