Statistics about people with disabilities
Only 17% of Romanians with disabilities have a job, well bellow EU average. The MEP Vlad Gheorghe demands jobs in European institutions for people with disabilities
In the European Union, approximately 100 million persons have a disability- that means 20% of Member States population. Only 28,6% of men and 20,7% of women with disabilities are in full-time employment.
In Romania, the situation is even worse: only 43.000 of people with disabilities, meaning 17% of them, have a job. Most of them are working in the private system, according to data provided by National Authority for the Rights of People with Disabilities.
All this, given that persons with disabilities are much more exposed to the risk of poverty and social exclusion, and the rate of unemployment is almost twice (17,2%) of the general population (10,2%). Furthermore, the unemployment of persons with disabilities lasts longer than that of the persons without disabilities regardless of qualifications.
European Solutions for Romanians with Disabilities
MEP Vlad Gheorghe says that one solution for raising the rate of employment is a diversity quota concerning the recruitment of persons with disabilities in the European institutions. This could help the Resolution adopted on March 10, 2021 establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment. The document voted in European Parliament calls the Member States to apply this measures in their public administrations.
„Every day we see persons that overcome any physical barrier – we have the moral duty to help and give them all the necessary opportunities. It is crucial that more people with disabilities have the chance, if they want so, to work for European Parliament, Commission, Council or other institutions. This is also available for the Romanian Parliament, the Government and other public institutions”, explained the MEP after the vote given in the Plenary.
European Disability Card
Furthermore, Vlad Gheorghe announced that the European Disability Card is going to extend to all Member States by the end of 2023. So far, only eight Member States, including Romania, have implemented it. This measure will help Romanians with disabilities to travel more easily. And of course, they could live and even work in another European country.
Without European Disability Card, the mobility of persons with disabilities is hampered. Because there is a risk of their National Cards not being recognized by other Member States. The Card will also serve as an European Parking Ticket for people with disabilities.
USR-PLUS MEP stresses that digitalization could play an important role in the life of these persons:
”The new technologies come to help people with certain conditions, starting with blindness and ending with muscular atrophies. So, investing in digitalization could contribute to the employment of persons with disabilities. But the real help given by digitalization starts with education process, as we saw it in the pandemic lockdown. So this has to be the priority of Romania and European Union”.
The Resolution on the implementation of Council Directive establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment was adopted this week and will be sent to the Commission, the Council and all the Member States’ parliaments.
