Employers associations want more jobs for people with disabilities

Employers can do more to make their workplace accessible to people with disabilities, according to Employers Association VNO-NCW and MKB-Nederland. With a declaration of action, the employers' organizations want to remove bottlenecks in the workplace so that the labor market becomes more inclusive. They will present the declaration to State Secretary Jurgen Nobel (Participation and Integration) at the Paralympic Games in Paris on Sunday.

To offer people with disabilities sufficient access to work, employers, the government, and social organizations made the job agreement years ago. They agreed to create at least 125,000 regular jobs for people with disabilities between 2013 and 2026. This involves 100,000 additional jobs in the business community and 25,000 additional jobs in the public sector, according to the Rijksoverheid (the central government). But in recent years, the numbers have lagged behind the objectives, and a bill has been placed on the table to adjust the agreement.

According to chairman Jacco Vonhof of MKB-Nederland, the job agreement's current functioning has much room for improvement, but the goals of the agreement still stand. Pending the political debate on adjustments, he urges entrepreneurs to consider whether they can do more, also because the labor market is very tight at the moment.

"As an entrepreneur, you can hide behind why it might not be possible, but entrepreneurs are people who think in opportunities. You see here at the Paralympic Games what people can do despite their disability. Then we should also be able to create more job openings for people who would like to work but are not working yet," says Vonhof. "Entrepreneurs may still be looking too often for the five-legged sheep."

The action statement also highlights adjustments for a more inclusive workplace. These could include removing thresholds for wheelchairs and making computers suitable for people with visual impairments.

Some seventy institutions have signed up to the action declaration. Sports umbrella organization NOC*NSF, which also signed the declaration as an employer, hopes that the performances of Dutch athletes in Paris will contribute to an inclusive labor market and society.

"We have a lot of respect for the performances of Paralympic top athletes, but in other areas of society, it is often about what people cannot do." That has to change, he believes. "Give people the opportunity to perform based on their talents, despite mutual differences or limitations," general director of NOC*NSF Marc van den Tweel says.