The Brexit referendum left people with disabilities fearing that their opportunities in the workplace could come under threat. This is because many protections come from the EU, including disability discrimination. But there is still a large gap between the employment rate of the working age population as a whole and the employment rate for disabled people, which is less than 50%.
Being a part of the EU has made it easier for businesses to hire overseas workers than hire someone with learning disabilities because it can be more expensive to train those with mental disabilities and provide equipment to those with physical disabilities. Now that Britain has decided to leave the EU there will be more opportunities for British disabled people, who could be hired to plug in the skills gap left by EU workers.
In the UK there are many existing schemes to help those with disabilities get back into work such as Access to Work, Foxes Academy and the Government’s Disability Confident scheme. However, substantial cuts have been made to them. Employers generally want to hire those who are ‘ready-made’ as they require less investment. Lastly, not all businesses have the tools or knowledge to hire people with disabilities.
Brexit will be with us by 2019. Over the next few years, we could see employers increasing their efforts to hire those with disabilities and use them to plug the skills gap that will inadvertently come about due to the triggering of Article 50. could also understand the law that surrounds disability discrimination. That involves changing the way in which employment is structured, the removal of physical barriers and/or providing extra support for a disabled worker.
Employers should, more than ever, understand the law that surrounds disability discrimination. That involves changing the way in which employment is structured, the removal of physical barriers and/or providing extra support for disabled workers.
part of our Brexit series