Georgia Employs 7 Times Fewer Disabled Persons than EU Countries

The recent study of Georgia-based Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), the Institute for the Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI), reads that persons with disabilities in Georgia have greater problems with unemployment than those in European Union countries, where seven times more disabled people are employed compared to Georgia.

The NGO says that, according to the latest 2014 census results from Geostat, there are 100,113 Persons with disabilities (PwDs) in Georgia, which amounts to around 2.7% of the total population. Around 82,000 persons did not specify their status or refused to provide an answer.

However, according to the Social Service Agency, there were 118,651 persons with disabilities registered as recipients of social assistance by March 1, 2015, and 125,104 in 2017.

“Unemployment is one of the most significant and severest problems in Georgia. Due to lack of adapted work environments, as well as negative stereotypes, this problem is especially critical in the case of persons with disabilities,” the NGO stated.

The organization stressed that according to the 2014 population census, persons with disabilities lack opportunities for employment and self-realization. It added that out of 96,102 persons with disabilities aged 15 and older, 34.4% were employed, while the same figure for the remainder of the employed population was 54%. In addition, 86.2% of employed persons with disabilities were self-employed, while the same figure for the rest of the employed population was 53.6%. Finally, of the 96,102 persons with disabilities aged 15 and older, only 4.8% (4,571 persons) were employed (contracted) in 2014.

The IDFI reports that the majority of people with disabilities in the public sector are employed in local self-government bodies; accordingly, trends of the public sector in 2014-2016 are largely determined by the practice of employing people with disabilities in similar institutions. For example, in 2016, the number of people with disabilities employed in local self-government bodies decreased from 77 to 28 (63%).

“However, the level of overall decline falls significantly behind the decrease in the number of persons with disabilities employed in the public sector in 2016, which raises questions about the basis used to reduce the number of employees,” the report reads.

According to the official statistical data of the European Union, as of 2014, the average employment rate for people with disabilities in Europe was 48.7%.

The highest employment rates for people with disabilities are given in the following countries: Switzerland – 70.4%, Germany – 59.7%, Luxemburg – 57.8%, Sweden – 56.5%, Finland – 55.2%, and Estonia – 55.1%. The lowest rates are given in Greece – 27.8% and Serbia – 25.8%.3

“In the EU, an average of 69% of people with disabilities are hired employees. Therefore, the employment rate for people with disabilities in EU countries averages at 33.6%, which is about seven times higher than the number for Georgia,” the report reads.

The NGO says that United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCPRD), which Georgia ratified in 2013, obliges the country to provide and facilitate the full realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms for persons with disabilities without any discrimination arising from their disability. This Convention also obligates states to collect statistical and research data on PwDs.

“The data requested and received by the IDFI from various Georgian state agencies by the end of 2017, as well as the latest reports of the Public Defender’s Office, clearly indicate that the Georgian State is still unable to collect comprehensive statistical data on PwDs,” the NGO reported.

Thea Morrison