Irish rate of jobs for people with disabilities trailing UK, EU

Mind the Gap Report, a cross-border study, urges Irish employers to do better, unveiled at event hosted by Ability@Work programme 

James Casey, Daithi Quirke, Brendan Looney at an event run by Horizons, formerly Cope Foundation, to recognise companies in Cork for participating in the biggest ever Job Shadow month recently.

Employment rates for people with disabilities across the island of Ireland are lagging behind those of both the UK and EU.

The numbers were unveiled at the recent Mind the Gap Summit hosted in Canal Court Hotel, Newry, by the Ability@Work programme, which is run by Cork-based Horizons.

The event marked the official launch of the Mind the Gap Report, a cross-border study that aims to drive significant improvements in disability employment rates across the island through strategic policy recommendations.

The employment rate for people with disabilities in Northern Ireland is 38.7%, versus 54.4% in the UK, while the disability employment gap is 47.6% between disabled people and people without disabilities in employment. 

Similarly, in the Republic of Ireland, the disability employment rate is 43%, below the EU average of 54%, and the disability employment gap is 37% between disabled people and people without disabilities in employment. 

Iwona Dunne, Edel Morrison and Alan O Keeffe, all from Fermoy, attended an event run by Horizons, formerly Cope Foundation, to recognise companies in Cork for participating in the biggest ever Job Shadow month recently.

Marian Hennessy, Ability@Work manager, Horizons, said: “It has been wonderful to work in partnership with the Northern Ireland Union Of Supported Employment and our southern partners completing the ‘Mind The Gap’ report, highlighting the unacceptable high unemployment levels amongst the people we support across the island of Ireland.

“It is a fact that you have a very poor chance of getting a job in Ireland if you have a disability. At a time when we are at almost full employment, it reflects badly that only 27.3% of people with a disability are in paid employment.” 

 Ms Hennessy added: “I congratulate NIUSE on this report, highlighting the needs and also offering solutions to this issue. It is imperative that the new Comprehensive Employment Strategy is published by the Government without delay.

“It is important to recognise the success of supported employment as a model of best practice enabling people to transition seamlessly into employment.” 

The summit was the culmination of the Mind the Gap project, an initiative led by the Northern Ireland Union of Supported Employment (NIUSE) in partnership with Kildare based disability support organisation, KARE.

Funded by the Shared Island Civic Society Fund through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the project has been guided by a diverse cross-border steering group of disability and employment support organisations.

Attendees at the Mind the Gap Summit heard directly from people with disabilities, employment service providers, and inclusive employers who are pioneering good practice across the island.

People attending a recent event recognising companies in Cork participating in the Job Shadow initiative run by the Horizons' Ability@Work programme.