PageGroup, global recruitment specialist, today releases a study which shines a light on the wide range of perceived barriers facing disabled individuals in the world of work. The findings reveal how far UK businesses still have to go to level the playing field for disabled candidates.
During a period of candidate shortages across multiple sectors, PageGroup polled 1,000 business leaders to understand the obstacles their business faces when looking to hire disabled candidates. The findings suggest the top five common barriers business leaders face are:
- Having the right internal support in place to accommodate the needs of disabled staff members – 23%
- The cost of modifying equipment / technology for disabled employees – 23%
- Concerns around legal proceedings if disabled hires don’t work out – 20%
- Additional resource commitment to onboard disabled workers – 20%
- A perception that disabled people may lack the right skills – 20%
Steve Ingham, CEO of PageGroup said:
“During a time of national skills shortages, it is extremely disappointing that businesses are not broadening their talent pools to include disabled candidates as they search for applicants to fill the gaps in their organisations. The disabled community has so much potential and untapped talent to offer the workplace. I am confident that many of the disabled individuals I have met are capable of fulfilling the jobs of ‘able-bodied’ workers and in many instances would far exceed the expectations of business leaders and HR managers. As a disabled person in a wheelchair myself, I have seen first-hand the hidden workforce that the disabled community represents and recognise the critical need for businesses to find ways to appeal to this community more and understand the strengths they offer.”
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