Barriers and Prospects for Employment of People with Disabilities in Russia and Abroad

On December 2, an international online seminar "Barriers and Prospects for Employment of People with Disabilities in Russia and Abroad" was held. The seminar was organized by the Human Capital Multidisciplinary Research Center, the World Bank and the International NRU HSE Laboratory for Social Integration Research with the support of the ROOI "Perspektiva" and the All-Russian Society of People with Disabilities. Within the framework of the seminar, the results of the analysis of the opportunities and barriers to integrating people with disabilities into the Russian labor market were presented.

Nina Kolybashkina, Senior Social Development Specialist of the World Bank, presented the results of the study 'Analysis of Barriers and Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities to Participate in the Labor Market in the Russian Federation.' She described in detail key recommendations that can help increase the employment rate of people with disabilities and overcome existing barriers to their employment.

The section was moderated by Professor Elena Yarskaya-Smirnova, head of ML ISI. Professor Victoria Antonova, and Associate Professor Christian Fröhlich, both from the Laboratory for Social Integration Studies at HSE University, raised as discussants their comments on the study by the World Bank and shared preliminary results of a their own research conducted at the International Laboratory for Social Integration Research and the Human Capital Multidisciplinary Research Center on the approaches of Russian business companies towards social inclusion and the perceptions and understandings of HR manager regarding the employment of people with disabilities.

Representatives from the World Bank, the International Labour Organization, the All-Russian Society of Disabled People, the NGO 'Perspektiva,' the Center for Curative Pedagogy, and the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Russian Federation also spoke at the seminar and engaged into the discussions.

The seminar participants expressed support for ongoing research of employment of people with disabilities and discussed opportunities for further cooperation.