The Economics of Inclusion / EU
Labour Market
The Disability Employment Gap in the EU: Causes and Remedies
European Commission analysis of the 24 percentage-point employment gap between disabled and non-disabled workers across EU-27, with evidence-based policy recommendations.
Disability Onset and Labour Market Outcomes
Peer-reviewed publication showing persistent wage and employment scarring following disability onset; part-time work and occupational downgrading are the dominant adjustment paths for workers who remain employed.
Inklusionsbarometer Arbeit 2024
Annual German benchmark finds the disability employment quota fell to 4.4% (lowest since 2013), unemployment for disabled workers doubled the general rate, and one in four quota-obligated firms employs no disabled person at all. (Aktion Mensch / Handelsblatt Research Institute)
Mental Health and Work Inclusion in the EU Labour Market
OECD-EU joint report on the labour market participation challenges and economic costs of poor mental health, with employer and policy levers for improvement.
Le handicap en chiffres — édition 2024
55-chapter panorama: 14.5 million French people report functional limitations; people with recognised disabilities are concentrated in a narrower occupational range; the adapted enterprise (ESAT) sector grew 9% in three years. (DREES, 2024)
The Disability Wage Gap in Europe: Cross-Country Evidence
IZA working paper using EU-SILC data to decompose the disability wage penalty across 22 European countries, finding 10–19% unexplained gaps after controlling for productivity factors.
Work from Home and Disability Employment
A 1pp rise in WFH increases full-time employment by 1% for people with physical disabilities. The post-pandemic expansion of remote work explains 68–85% of the rise in disability employment since 2020.
Labour Market Transitions for People with Disabilities in Europe
Eurofound longitudinal analysis of employment transitions — entry, exit, and re-entry — for disabled workers, identifying structural barriers and enablers.
Informe del Mercado de Trabajo de las Personas con Discapacidad Estatal 2024
Official Spanish labour market census 2023: activity rate 35.5% versus 75.8% general population (−40pp gap); 327,300 affiliated to Social Security (1.58% of total); affiliation grew 3.63%, outpacing the national average of 2.85%. (SEPE, 2024)
Disability-Based Labour Market Inequalities
Cross-national ETUI analysis shows disability employment and wage gaps were exacerbated by COVID-19; union membership is identified as a significant wage booster for disabled workers across OECD countries.
Employment and Wage Outcomes of People with Disabilities
Cross-country analysis across 44 countries finds workers with disabilities earn 12% less per hour; three-quarters of the gap is unexplained by education or occupation. In lower-income countries the gap reaches 26%.
Active Labour Market Policies for People with Disabilities
OECD comparative review of ALMPs across 38 countries — what works in wage subsidies, supported employment, job coaching, and vocational rehabilitation.
Situationen på arbetsmarknaden för personer med funktionsnedsättning 2022
Annual SCB survey of 786,000 Swedes aged 16–64 with disabilities: labour force participation at 63% vs 88% for non-disabled peers; employer attitude remains the primary self-reported barrier to employment. (Statistics Sweden, 2023)
Disability and Labor Market Performance
Using German administrative data, disability onset raises non-employment probability by 10pp after one year and 15pp after five years; wage losses persist even for those who remain employed.
Disability and Labour Market Integration: Policy Trends in EU Member States
Reviews 150+ policy measures across EU member states; only half of the 42.8 million working-age EU citizens with disabilities are employed, with COVID-19 exacerbating existing gaps.
The Disability Employment Puzzle: A Field Experiment on Employer Hiring
A résumé audit study of 6,016 applications found disability disclosure reduced employer callbacks by 26%; the gap was concentrated at small firms and absent at publicly held companies.