The International Labour Organisation has renewed its call for stronger global efforts to ensure disability inclusion in the labour market, urging coordinated action from governments, employers, and civil society to guarantee equal opportunities and decent work for persons with disabilities.
Speaking at the Global Disability Summit held from April 2-3, 2025, ILO’s Deputy Director-General Celeste Drake said, “Ensuring that people with disabilities have access to equal opportunities and decent work doesn’t happen by accident. It requires dedicated and sustained action.”
Globally, the ILO noted that persons with disabilities make up an estimated one billion people, around 15 per cent of the population, but remain disproportionately excluded from the workforce.
ILO research showed their labour market participation rate is 30 per cent lower than that of persons without disabilities. Youth with disabilities are particularly marginalised, being twice as likely to be Not in Education, Employment, or Training, compared to their peers without disabilities.
At the Summit’s panel on shaping inclusive labour markets and decent work for persons with disabilities worldwide, the ILO called for urgent policy measures to dismantle barriers and integrate disability inclusion into mainstream employment systems, especially for women and young people.
A key vehicle for change is the ILO’s Global Business and Disability Network, which brings together more than 40 multinational companies and 45 national networks.
The Network works to expand decent work opportunities for people with disabilities, particularly in developing countries, and advocates inclusive business practices that recognise the diverse needs and contributions of all workers.
Despite being employed, many persons with disabilities are over-represented in the informal economy, where they frequently experience wage discrimination and poor working conditions.
The disability wage gap is even more pronounced for women. ILO data showed that only 33.5 per cent of people with severe disabilities worldwide receive adequate social protection, including access to disability benefits.
Promoting inclusive dialogue is also crucial. The ILO stressed that meaningful involvement of persons with disabilities in social dialogue and collective bargaining is essential for creating equitable and resilient labour markets.
The summit ended with the adoption of the Amman-Berlin Declaration on Global Disability Inclusion, which calls for a minimum of 15 per cent of international development programmes to actively pursue disability inclusion.
The ILO endorsed the declaration alongside other global bodies, reinforcing its commitment to ensuring that disability inclusion becomes a measurable and central component of international development and humanitarian strategies.
