Joint Letter: For a Disability Employment Guarantee as flagship initiative of the enhanced Disability Strategy

Joint Letter to Roxana Mînzatu, Executive Vice-President for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness and Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management

EU organisations call for a Disability Employment Guarantee as flagship initiative of the enhanced Disability Strategy

30 March 2026

Dear Executive Vice-President Mînzatu,

Dear Commissioner Lahbib,

We call on the European Commission to announce an EU Disability Employment and Skills Guarantee as part of the new actions in the upcoming Communication “Enhancing the strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities up to 2030.”

Only 52.7% of persons with disabilities in the European Union are employed, compared to 76.7% of persons without disabilities (Eurostat, 2024). This figure is lower for women with disabilities – only 49% – and for young persons with disabilities, who have an employment rate of only 47.4%.

In addition, Europe also has a very clear disability pay gap. Persons with disabilities in Europe earn significantly less than their counterparts without disabilities. Women with disabilities are again shown to fare worse.

EU employment policy, and the Guarantee, should also specifically address the significantly greater barriers to employment that persons with intellectual disabilities, psychosocial disabilities and disabilities that impact cognitive skills face.

That is why we demand an EU Disability Employment and Skills Guarantee, inspired by the successful Youth Guarantee.

The Disability Employment and Skills Guarantee should have allocated funding to:

• Give access to mainstream education, training and employment opportunities.
• Grant job opportunities in the open labour market (not in sheltered workshops).
• Offer support to assist companies and organisations in providing reasonable accommodations for the person at work.
• Ensure access to certification that can attest to the skills acquired by participants with disabilities.

Furthermore, it should:

• Be open to persons with disabilities of any age.
• Not affect people’s eligibility to continue receiving disability allowance and other support from the State.
• Plan specific actions to support persons with psychosocial disabilities, intellectual disabilities and disabilities that impact cognitive function.

Ensuring equal access to employment is not only an obligation of the European Union under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It is also key to ensuring an inclusive, competitive Europe.

Therefore, we call on the European Commission to announce this Guarantee as a flagship initiative in its upcoming Communication and to ensure its implementation as soon as possible.

Thank you for your attention.

Read the statement for full list of signatories