As employers are pulling their collective hair out to find workers with skills shortages in all sectors and businesses deciding to reduce hours or close for days as a direct result of staff shortages
Don’t Leave them Behind has received many communications from people with disabilities who are finding that employers will not recruit them fearing that the employer may have to invest in time and equipment to support new employees with disabilities .
It appears that employers are happy to close down trading for 2 days a week rather that hire from this talent pool.
We urgently need to get our Act together and consideration must take place to implement a Quota System to promote the employment of people with disabilities
Many Countries from Europe and some Asian countries have developed their own bespoke quota system and in China a formal Law and regulations for a quota system for disability employment
Ireland requires a Quota System enshrined in Law which will expand employment channels for disabled people and will also improve the quantity and quality of the employment on offer.
In the Public Sector the State must introduce a Target to aim for and we should be looking at 5% of all new hires by 2026 .Each recruitment campaign needs to ring-fence a number of roles that Talent from within the pool of Talent that already exists with people with disabilities .
For the Private Sector , the State already provide a vast range of Grants and wage supports most of which is never drawn down each year as a direct result of the failure of Businesses to hire people with disabilities and the time has arrived to implement a Quota System which is support by legislation that has teeth with penalties for failure to comply with the employment targets set by the State.
As we start to come out of the Pandemic with what looks like a Boom with a significant skills and labour shortage this is the best time to look at the talent that exists within the disability community and allow them the opportunity to contribute to our recovery .