£1m funding for disabled workers

New funding of £1 million to support employers in recruiting disabled people has been announced by the First Minister.

While one in five people in Scotland is disabled, they make up only 11 per cent of the private sector workforce and 11.7 per cent of public sector staff, the Scottish Government said.

Announcing the £1m funding in Glasgow, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said supporting more disabled people into employment would help them fulfil their potential and benefit society.

The funding will help ensure employers - particularly those in small and medium sized businesses – have access to advice and support when seeking to recruit disabled people, and will encourage employers to support disabled people through offering work experience, paid internships and more access to Modern Apprenticeships.

Speaking at the Congress on Disability, Employment and the Workplace at the Marriott Hotel, Ms Sturgeon said there seems to be a certain bias against hiring disabled people and that it is vital to tackle these “damaging attitudes”.

She said: “We must recognise that the employment rate for disabled people stands at just around 43 per cent compared to around 80 per cent of the rest of the population, that tells us the scale of the challenge that we must address.”