Inclusive hiring process sole path to join workforce, say people with disabilities

AMMAN — People with disabilities say the provision of an unbiased and inclusive hiring process coupled with apt accommodations are critical for them to enter the workforce.

During a meeting with the Labour and Social Development Committee in the Senate on Tuesday, Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply and Labour Youssef Shamali said that the Labour Law stipulates allocating 4 per cent of vacancies in the public sector for people with disabilities. 

In an interview with Al Mamlaka TV, Civil Service Commission spokesperson Khaled Gharaibeh called on the private sector to hire people with disabilities.

Gharaibeh noted that employment rates for people with disabilities exceeded 4 per cent in some of the Kingdom’s institutions. 

Faisal Mustafa, a 38-year-old Jordanian with a disability, told The Jordan Times that it is necessary to focus on equalising levels of education in order for people with disabilities to be equitably represented in the workforce. Mustafa stressed the need for free and inclusive education at all public educational institutions in the Kingdom. 

“Reasonable work conditions, adjustments and accommodations facilitate performance and job retention for people with disabilities,” Mustafa told The Jordan Times. 

Mustafa added that to enhance the enrolment of people with disabilities in the workforce, an unbiased, inclusive process and the continued management of disability issues within the workplace are necessary. He noted that these elements create equal opportunities for workers with disabilities to advance in their careers, which in turn enable participation, social recognition and guarantees their right to employment.

Ali Awaysheh, another Jordanian with a disability, told The Jordan Times that society must have a longstanding commitment to promoting people with disabilities’ right to decent work.

“Breaking down barriers to work, like discrimination, costs and negative attitudes, as well as promoting the inclusion of disabled people in areas like skills training, are key to enrol people with disabilities in the labour market,” Awaysheh added. 

Awaysheh highlighted that women with disabilities face greater barriers to finding employment. “I believe women with disabilities have a higher unemployment rate than their male counterparts,” said Awaysheh. 

Director of the Legal Affairs Unit at the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Lara Yassin, said during an interview with Al Mamlaka TV that people with disabilities make up an estimated 11.4 per cent of Jordan’s population. 

Social participation through employment leads to social recognition, Awayesheh added. 

On the other hand, prejudice, unequal opportunities, workers’ low levels of education and a lack of training opportunities lead to employment exclusion of people with disabilities, Awaysheh said.