Disabled jobseekers face barriers

More than a third of disabled jobseekers have been discriminated against during the recruitment process, according to research commissioned by the Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative (RIDI).

The diversity consultancy, Clear Company, found that 37% of disabled jobseekers have been discriminated against during the recruitment process. In addition, 82% of disabled candidates have reported a negative experience with a recruitment consultancy, which they attribute to a lack of knowledge surrounding disability issues.

There is also a significant disparity between the perceptions of candidates and recruiters in terms of the provision of “reasonable adjustments” made to accommodate disabled jobseekers — a legal requirement under the Equality Act 2010. Despite the fact that more than eight in 10 (82%) of recruiters claim reasonable adjustments are made to cater for disabled jobseekers, nearly three in five (58%) of those candidates say that no such adjustments were made.

Kate Headley, director of consulting at the Clear Company, said: “It is evident that a lack of awareness and knowledge is continuing to have an adverse effect on the recruitment of disabled people. When around one in every 18 jobseekers has a disability this inevitably means that employers are missing out on a rich pool of talent.”

www.theclearcompany.co.uk/news/One_in_three_disabled_jobseekers_discrimination