Few disabled people employed over 12 hours weekly

Only one third of the Netherlands' disabled worked over 12 hours a week in 2013, according to research released Thursday by Statistics Netherlands (CBS). This rate is relatively low, the research shows. In the same year, the employment rate for people without a disability was 72 percent. The report defines people with a disability as those who have a "long-term illness, disease or disability that hinders them in performing or finding work." In 2013, 14 percent of all 15 to 65 year olds in the Netherlands had a disability, comprising almost 1.6 million people. The CBS research found that a third of those in paid work over 12 hours per week usually had fixed and part-time employment. The research found that one in ten disabled people in paid work would like to work more hours. Only 43 percent of workers with disabilities were employed full time, compared to 59 percent of workers without disabilities. The unemployment rate is also disproportionately high for people with disabilities, reaching 15.8 percent. This is almost twice as high as the unemployment rate for those without disabilities, which amounts to only 7.6 percent.

Most disabled persons worked in health and social care, industry and trade. Restaurants have seen a particularly significant growth in disabled employees. One such restaurant is Downey's in Amersfoort, which employs people with Down's syndrome. The country may see an increase in employment for the disabled, following plans released by the Cabinet in September to expand the market by 100,000 jobs by 2026.