The Ministry of Economy has implemented a number of programmes to remove barriers in the workplace, especially for people with disabilities – by 2024, the state will be able to help employers create 10,000 such jobs. This was announced by Yuliia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine, in her speech at a meeting with the Business Without Barriers community, attended by First Lady Olena Zelenska.

“Today, as a state, we must adhere to a clear philosophy – our citizens either work or defend the country. This is a question of our defence capability and economic stability. Our task is to ensure that everyone who wants to work has the opportunity to do so, including through legislation, and that there are no barriers to realising this aspiration. That is why our priorities are, firstly, to improve labour legislation, and we are already making progress in this direction – by the end of the month we will be able to submit a new draft Labour Code for discussion. Secondly, the removal of barriers in the workplace, in particular by equipping such places with special furniture and applications necessary for people with disabilities to feel comfortable and safe in the work environment. Thirdly, the workplace productivity programme is an ideology of well-being that companies have already begun to implement as part of their corporate culture,” said Yuliia Svyrydenko.

She recalled that in August this year the Government introduced a programme to compensate employers for making workplaces accessible to people with disabilities. According to the programme, employers can receive state compensation for special furniture, equipment and aids purchased for their employees with disabilities up to UAH 100,500 for adapting workplaces for group 1 disabilities and up to UAH 67,000 for group 2 disabilities. To date, employers have received 41 compensations for workplace accessibility in the amount of over UAH 2 million. The average amount of compensation is UAH 55,000.

“Next year, the Government will be able to help employers create at least 10,000 jobs for people with disabilities. We are allocating UAH 660 million to this programme. So I urge businesses to take advantage of it and remove barriers in the workplace for their employees,” said Yuliia Svyrydenko.

As for programmes to improve workplace productivity, one of the projects launched by the Ministry of Economy together with its partners is the BetterMe app, which helps people prevent burnout at work. Since the announcement of this initiative, 300 employers, including the Ministry of Economy, have joined it, and employees can download the app for free on their mobile phones and maintain their physical and mental health.

Background

The Business Without Barriers community was launched in November 2020, when ten Ukrainian and international companies united around the First Lady’s Without Barriers initiative and declared their support for the values of barrier-free access.