Employment Law & HR update 02/08/2011
More than seven million disabled adults in the UK are being held
back from getting jobs, according to a Department for Work and
Pensions (DWP) Disability Steering Group.
The steering group has said that both employers and recruitment
providers are preventing disabled people from getting jobs and from
reaching their full potential. This is due to the 'glass ceiling'
that is being imposed upon them by such organisations or employers
themselves.
As a result of the findings, the group – members of which include
BT Plc and E.ON Energy – is calling for employers to change their
perception of and attitude towards disabled people.
Alongside the attitude shift, the steering group is encouraging
companies to sign up to a new online resource, which has been
developed by employers across the country. Clearkit helps to
highlight the barriers that currently stand in the way of the
recruitment of disabled people and aims to help break down those
barriers.
The group is aiming to sign up 1,000 companies to Clearkit by
October this year, so that 500 businesses can move towards ensuring
their recruitment practices are fairer for disabled people.
Minister for disabled people, Maria Miller, said, “Almost 50 per
cent of disabled people are out of work and those that are
[employed] often work far below their potential. That is why I am
urging employers to look hard at their recruitment and work
practices to make sure they don’t miss out on the extensive talents
of disabled people.”