Presentation by Inmaculada Placencia Porrero (Deputy Head of Unit, European Commission DG JUST.D.3) on the occasion of the EESC LMO conference on 'Excluded or included' in Brussels on 6 November 2012.

1. Labour market situation of persons
with disabilities under Europe 2020
Inmaculada Placencia Porrero
Deputy Head of Unit
Unit D3 Rights of Persons with Disabilities
European Commission
DG Justice
Inmaculada.placencia-porrero@ec.europa.eu

2. Europe 2020 is the EU's growth strategy for the coming decade.
PRIORITIES:
Develop a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy.
DELIVER:
-High levels of employment,
-Productivity and
-Social cohesion.
MONITORING ACHIEVEMENTS
through statistics is integral part of the Europe 2020 strategy.
HEADLINE INDICATORS
measure the progress made by the EU and the Member States towards achieving
the headline targets of the strategy.
Headline targets have been agreed for the whole EU.
This set of EU-level targets is translated into national targets.

3. EUROPE 2020: EU HEADLINE TARGETS
Selected areas Headline targets Indicators
Employment rate by gender,
1. EMPLOYMENT 75 % of the population aged 20-64 1.
age group 20-64
should be employed
Early leavers from education and
2.1
training by gender
The share of early school leavers
should be under 10% and
2. EDUCATION at least 40% of 30-34 years old
should have completed a tertiary or 2.2 Tertiary educational attainment by
equivalent education gender, age group 30-34
People at-risk-of-poverty or social
3.1 exclusion (union of the three sub-
indicators below)
POVERTY & Reduction of poverty by aiming to People living in households with
3.2
3. SOCIAL lift at least 20 million people out of very low work intensity
the risk of poverty or exclusion
EXCLUSION
People at-risk-of-poverty after
3.3
social transfers
Severely materially deprived
CESEP 3.4 3
people

4. Employed persons (per cent of the age group, aged 20 to 64 )
EU-SILC 2010
Employment gap:
Disabled: 45,5% Non-Disabled: 71,7% Total: 67,2%
26,2%

5. Persons living in households with Work Intensity < 20% (%, ages 16-59)
Ratio between the number of months that all working age household members (18-64) have been
working during the income reference year and the total number of months that could theoretically
have been worked
EU-SILC 2010
25
8
Disabled 24% Non-disabled 9% Total: 11%

6. Persons in households with Work Intensity < 20% (%, by age group)
Ratio between the number of months that all working age household members (18-64) have been
working during the income reference year and the total number of months that could theoretically
have been worked
EU-SILC 2010

7. PEOPLE AT-RISK-OF-POVERTY OR SOCIAL EXCLUSION
(Synthesis of 3 indicators)
Percent of persons who are either at risk of poverty after social transfers or severely
materially deprived or living in households with very low work intensity, Age 16-59, 2010
EU-SILC 2010 36%
21%
Disabled: 36 % Non-Disabled: 23 % Total: 25 %

8. Data sources at EU level:
EUROSTAT
• EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions
(EU-SILC)
• European Health Interview Survey (EHIS)
• Labour Force Survey ad hoc modules on
employment of disabled people (LFS AHM)
• European Health and Social Integration Survey
(EHSIS) - new

9. Europe 2020: Country Specific
Recommendations 2012
o Country Specific Recommendations for 3 countries:
o Denmark [---] enhance long-term labour supply by reforming the
disability pension, better targeting subsidised employment
schemes (the ‘flex-job’ system) towards people with reduced work
capacity [---]
o Estonia - Improve incentives to work by streamlining the social
benefits system and increasing flexibility in the allocation of
disability, unemployment and parental benefits, while ensuring
adequate social protection.
o Netherlands - Enhance participation in the labour market,
particularly of older people, women, and people with disabilities
and migrants
o Implicitly also mentioned in Germany – raise educational
achievement by equal opportunities in the education and training
system
o CSRs are not objectives but tools

10. Europe 2020: Staff Working Documents (SWDs) 2012
o SWDs offer opportunity to draw attention to
improvement needs, which do not require a CSR
o In addition to countries receiving disability-related CSR,
5 countries' SWDs expressly mention disability:
o Belgium - attention is drawn to "potential abuse of possible loopholes (for
instance, within the sickness and disability schemes)"
o Czech Republic – remark on ALMP conditions made stricter to limit abuse,
especially od the support meant for the disabled
o Lithuania – remark on existence of financial suport for students with
disabilities
o Malta – remark on use of ESF to enhance participation in labour market
o Sweden –remark on disability benefit schemes having become more
supportive of labour integration and employment

11. EU Disability Strategy: Main areas for EU
action
• Presented in the Communication; provide structure for List of
Actions (2010-2015):
• Accessibility of goodsemployment situation of PWD
“Improve the and services
through recognition of their right to work incl.
• Participation as equal citizens in Europe and quality
the right to the opportunity to gain a living by
community-based services
work freely chosen or accepted in a labour
• Equality and combating discrimination
market and work environment that is open,
• Employment in the open labour market
inclusive and accessible”
• Inclusive education and training
• Social protection to combat poverty and social exclusion
• Equal access to health services and related facilities
• External action including EU enlargement, neighbourhood
and international development programmes

12. Study: Supported Employment in EU & EFTA-EEA
(COWI, 2011)
Findings:
1. High variability of policies and definitions in 30 countries
2. PwD not seen as mainstream jobseekers - activation (sheltered
workshop) approach strong
3. Number of countries have or are developing Supported
Employment programmes and projects, but few fully comply with
the definition (earning real wages).
4. Initiatives with elements of Supported Employment are mostly Pilot
Projects, even in countries with longer history of Supported
Employment
1. Unstable and unpredictable funding

13. Study: Supported Employment in EU & EFTA-EEA
(COWI, 2011)
Recommendations (National authorities):
• PwD should be regarded as mainstream jobseekers. Supported
Employment should be on offer in the mainstream system.
• Services should be constructed and distributed to ensure access
for all - in terms of geography and target group.
• National framework (legal framework, its enforcement), and
preferably a national programme, should be established to support
common standards, equal access, incentives for employers and
employees and “single contact point”.
• The legal framework should not only allow but insist on the right
for all citizens to participate on the open labour market.
•

14. COWI study on supported employment
Study: Supported Employment in EU & EFTA-EEA
(COWI, 2011)
Recommendations – EU role:
• EU should continue to promote ESF as an important financing
instrument.
• EU could use its existing structures and methods to reach a
common understanding of common concepts, definition and
understanding of Supported Employment.
• EU could regularly collect and disseminate good practices and
positive experience and disseminate this through existing
channels.

15. VP/2010/017: PILOT PROJECTS ON EMPLOYMENT OF
PERSONS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS
Organisation Proposed duration Name of the project Essence of the project* Status
COMUNITA MONTANA-Associazione dei "SWANS – Sustainable work Transfer to Italy of UK and BE
Comuni Trasimeno Medio Tevere, 17 March 2011 - 9 November for autism networking experience in enabling persons
ITALY 2012 support" with ASD to find employment. Ongoing
Transfer of the successful (in
DK and Scotland)
"Specialisterne" model of
finding employment for
Accelerating the Employment persons with ASD to other EU
of people with autism countries, starting with
Specialist People Foundation, spectrum disorder in real Germany, piloting Poland, Final report in
DENMARK 11 April 2011 - 11 April 2012 business Spain, UK. examination
Developing and piloting a
sustainable model (including
training and skills certification)
of transfer of persons with
Berufsbildungswerk im Oberlinhaus 01 December 2010 - 30 "ABC – Jobs fuer Menschen ASD from education/training
GmbH. GERMANY November 2012 mit ASS" into the labour market. Ongoing
"Development and piloting a Developing and piloting a
model for occupational sustainable model (including
training and employment of training and skills certification)
people with ASD in the ICT of employing persons with
ESI-CEE BULGARIA 18 April 2011 - 17 April 2012 sector" ASD in IT sector. Finished

16. The online tool
1. Defined in Annex 2 of the Commission Staff Working Paper
accompanying the Strategy SEC(2010)1323
2. For each country, key instruments to achieve the effective
implementation of the UN Convention: a table, displaying
policies, practical measures and legal acts
3. With web link to reference document or relevant information
4. Via our main website:
http://ec.europa.eu/justice/discrimination/disabilities/index_en.htm

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18. Issues
• Comparability
• Examples of Member States
• Definitions
• Approach and Methodology
• Amount of Data and Sectors
• Challenges for data collection
• Children
• Older People in institutions
• Persons with Intellectual Disabilities

19. Statistics and data collection
Issues Purpose
•Number of Persons with •Policy and legislation Design
Disabilities
•Situation of Persons with
Disabilities •Measure Impact of Policy and
Legislation
•Comparison between Persons
with Disabilities and Persons
with no Disabilities •Actual enjoyment of Human
Rights