Around 600,000 people in the Netherlands with a disability sidelined

• More than half of all people in the Netherlands suffer a disability, and they are less likely to have a job than people without a disability.

• The unutilised potential of these disabled workers could help to reduce staff shortages for employers who are willing to assign employees adapted duties.

• Hiring people with a disability not only increases the workforce, but also leads to more creativity, worker engagement and greater job satisfaction.

Underutilisation of labour potential

More than half the population of the Netherlands (ages 15 to 65) have a disability and struggle to find work as a result. For example, 82 percent of the five million Dutch people without a disability have a job, as opposed to only 72 percent of the more than six million people with a disability. This conclusion is presented in ABN AMRO’s report ‘Unlimited potential for flexible employers’, published today. According to the bank’s calculations based on data from Statistics Netherlands, companies could draw on no less than 600,000 additional workers if people with a disability were given the same job opportunities as everyone else.

Current policy does not help all disabled workers in the Netherlands to find work

In 2013, the Dutch government and the business sector signed the Jobs Agreement to create at least 125,000 new jobs for disabled people by 2026. To date, 85,665 of those jobs have been realised. Some people with a disability are structurally unemployed, having a physical, social or mental impairment that prevents them from working. However, many remain sidelined because they do not qualify for the schemes in place under the Jobs Agreement. Their condition is less severe, or they have an academic or higher professional education degree, and the idea is that they should be able to find work without assistance. As staff shortages continue to rise, however, more and more workers are needed.

Flexible employers can utilise the potential

According to ABN AMRO, around 600,000 people in the Netherlands are unnecessarily sidelined. “Even if a third of these people have a condition that prevents them from finding work, the other 400,000 are enough to fill every job opening in the Netherlands,” highlights David Bolscher, Sector Economist in healthcare and themes at ABN AMRO. “Hiring these people will require adapting their duties and the workplace, which takes time and money. A regional employer service desk, a local healthcare provider or an apprenticeship company can help employers to find suitable job applicants. This is worthwhile, because with the right effort and guidance, employers will be rewarded by more creativity, worker engagement and greater job satisfaction.”

About ABN AMRO: Working with a disability

Staff shortages are high in the financial, education and healthcare sectors. Despite this, these sectors are less likely than others to hire people with a disability. ABN AMRO believes that everyone should have the opportunity to develop their talents. Using initiatives such as the B-Able programme, the bank creates specific opportunities to welcome people with a disability.