Inclusive labour market: normative barriers and opportunities for persons with disabilities in Europe

The aim of the study was to assess regulatory barriers and opportunities for an inclusive labour market for people with disabilities in Ukraine and European countries. The study carried out a comparative analysis of normative barriers, an analysis of statistical data of the inclusive labour market, employment of persons with disabilities, and employment opportunities for persons with disabilities in Ukraine, Poland, the Federal Republic of Germany and France. In Ukraine, the laws “On the Fundamentals of Social Security of Persons with Disabilities” and “On Employment of the Population” established quotas for the employment of persons with disabilities and defined the obligations of employers, but monitoring of compliance remained formal and ineffective. In Poland, Germany, and France, the relevant laws and regulations provided mandatory quotas, financial incentives, workplace adaptation and strict monitoring of compliance, which ensured a high level of implementation and effective integration of persons with disabilities into the labour market. It was found that in Germany the largest number of lawsuits concerned the technical non-adaptation of workplaces; in Poland – non-compliance with quotas and lack of accompanying services; in France – architectural barriers and access to ESAT; in Ukraine – unlawful dismissal on the grounds of disability. It was established that the effectiveness of inclusion largely depended on coordination between state structures, employers and civil society institutions. The results of the study demonstrated that for Ukraine the priority should be the creation of a sustainable system of regional support, reforming of professional rehabilitation, as well as strengthening control over the observance of labour rights of persons with disabilities. The practical significance of the study lay in the fact that its results could be used by public authorities, in particular by the ministries of social policy and labour, to improve the regulatory framework for the employment of persons with disabilities