Disability Rights UK reports on the launch of ‘Ahead of the arc,’ a report by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Disability.
The report highlights that on current trends and policies the Government is certain to miss its target to halve the disability employment gap.
Download ‘Ahead of the arc’ PDF
The report offers the Government details of what new interventions in the economy will be required for it to succeed in fulfilling its manifesto commitment to halve the gap between the employment rate of disabled people and that of non-disabled people by 2020.
The report focuses upon three policy areas currently under-utilised or neglected by Government:
1) A right to return to work for newly disabled workers to retain their jobs
2) Using the Government’s leverage as the biggest purchaser of goods and services in the economy to stipulate disability inclusive recruitment and retention in public sector contracting
3) Ensuring that growth sectors of the economy such as construction, care, energy generation and food and drink etc have sector wide policies that target disabled people as the workers who will fill future skills shortages in these sectors.
Dr Lisa Cameron MP and chair of the APPG on Disability said, “This report looks at factors that the DWP green paper on employment and disability largely overlooks – are there enough future vacancies and how can Government ensure that disabled people are able to either create jobs or take opportunities in major areas of the economy? It argues for a new relationship with disabled people in which Government spending also has a social dividend that helps them gain work.”
What do you think of the findings presented in this report? Do you think the government should be doing more to support disabled people in to work? Let us know in the comments section below, over on our Facebook page, or on our Twitter.
