Not enough people with disabilities employed in Ireland, Minister says

Résumé détaillé

There are “not enough” disabled people in employment across the country, Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary has said. Just under 2,700 employees and 1,600 employers are…

There are “not enough” disabled people in employment across the country, Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary has said.

Just under 2,700 employees and 1,600 employers are availing of a State wage subsidy scheme to encourage more firms to recruit workers with disabilities.

Current numbers in employment “are not enough” and, in a bid to encourage more employers to recruit those with disabilities, he has dropped the minimum number of required employment hours from 15 to eight.

[ ‘I love working here’: Disabled Mr Price employee Samantha Duggan would be ‘lost’ without jobOpens in new window ]

He has also expanded the scheme to include voluntary, community and non-commercial semi-State sectors.

The Minister is also urging employers to “step up and offer more opportunities”.

He praised the Mr Price chain of discount stores as a “super example” of a firm employing staff with disabilities. Some 18 per cent of the company’s employees have disabilities.

The changes come in a bid to reduce the gap between disabled and non-disabled employment rates in Ireland, which chair of the Oireachtas committee on disability matters, Maurice Quinlivan, described as “among the highest in Europe”.

Calleary said the scheme is an important disability support and “provides a valuable subsidy of up to €10 per hour per worker to encourage employers to offer substantial and sustainable employment to disabled people”.

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