The lost reserve of the Ukrainian economy: why the market ignores 2 million workers
According to official statistics, more than 2.8 million people with disabilities live in Ukraine. Of these, approximately 68% are people of working age. That is, more than 2 million Ukrainians who are potentially able and willing to work. But only one in six of them has a job.
Against the backdrop of a shortage of personnel caused by mobilization, migration, and an aging population, this looks paradoxical. We have a huge untapped reserve – and we are stubbornly ignoring it. Why?
It's not about charity, it's about economics
Employment inclusion often sounds in public discourse as something "social," humanitarian, about pity or goodwill. But this is a false framework. In fact, it is about the effective use of human potential. Successful economies – from Germany to Canada – have been proving for years that an open and accessible labor market increases GDP, reduces social support costs, and fosters innovation.
Barriers are stronger than motivation
Most of the people with disabilities we work with, are not looking for benefits – they are looking for work. But they often face invisible (and sometimes very visible) barriers:
- physical (no elevator or ramp);
- informational (vacancies without description of working conditions);
- technical (systems unreadable by screen programs);
- and most importantly – barriers in attitude: "can he/she do it?", "it is too complicated", "it will be expensive for us to adapt".
This is compounded by an outdated system of disability identification, lack of career support, bureaucracy of employment centers, and complete invisibility of inclusive vacancies on the market.
What to do about it?
At the League of the Strong, we conducted research, a series of facilitated sessions and created Catalog of solutions in the field of inclusive employment – a practical document that contains specific steps for business, communities and the state.
This is not about "feeling sorry" for a person with a disability. It is about:
- introduce the concept of "reasonable accommodation" into the legislation and explain to employers, ;
- compensate for the costs of adapting workplaces, because businesses are not always able to do this on their own;
- launch a career support system, because not everyone needs a "standard" approach;
- change public rhetoric – finally see people with disabilities as colleagues, potential entrepreneurs and service providers.
The labor market is not a charity
The inclusion of people with disabilities in the labor market is not a social charity. It is an investment in economic resilience. This is a response to the staffing crisis. It is about a mature society that does not exclude anyone because of prejudice.
At the moment, the Ukrainian economy cannot afford to ignore 2 million potential employees. It's time to stop treating inclusion as a "social issue" and start talking about it in the language of development, efficiency, and change.
