The Strengthening Business Together programme has been launched in Ukraine to help address five major obstacles for persons with disabilities willing to find a job. According to a survey of entrepreneurs held by the Confederation of Employers of Ukraine, most common difficulties for enterprises occur in: search for funding to procure special equipment (43%), implementation of rules for work organization of employees with disabilities in companies (42%), search for specialists for support of the processes of engaging employees with disabilities (38%), arrangement of workplaces for persons with disabilities (26%), preparing enterprise work teams for hiring of employees with disabilities (18%).

Specific tools to overcome the obstacles consist of step-by-step recommendations on the development and implementation of an internal policy on integration of employees with disabilities, and the Strengthening Business Together training course on development of such a policy. They have been developed by the Confederation of Employers of Ukraine with support from the International Labour Organization and the Government of Belgium. Some time ago, the Confederation of Employers of Ukraine presented a practical guide on employment of persons with disabilities. All these materials are published on Razom platform .

The new training course takes expected legislative changes into consideration.

“A new version of the law on the fundamentals of social protection of persons with disabilities will take effect on 1 January 2026. More than 50 regulatory acts will have to be amended, and serious complications in the adaptation procedure are in store for entrepreneurs. To meet the new challenges, we’re updating handbooks and training curricula for enterprises on job placement of persons with disabilities”, said Oleksii Miroshnychenko, President of the Confederation of Employers of Ukraine.

Inna Solodka, Deputy Minister of Social Policy, Family, and Unity of Ukraine, pointed out that it is important to the Ministry to understand how business perceives provisions of the law that is going to take effect from 2026. “There are many questions. 80% bylaws have not yet been adopted. The part relating to the Ministry of Social Policy, Family, and Unity, is under elaboration. Today, rather young persons become disabled. And we must do our best to let them feel themselves in the society actively, comfortably and on equal terms with all people, so that they have a desire to work. That’s one of the ministry’s important priorities”, she noted.

“Enhancing opportunities for job placement of persons with disabilities is not just a matter of human rights but a certain prerequisite for socially responsible, competitive and sustainable business”, Tetiana Minenko, National Manager of ILO projects, noted. “These questions are becoming extremely paramount in the matters in Ukraine’s reconstruction. Business currently has a difficult time now because, in addition of challenges of labour force reduction in the labour market, there is another big challenge – they are expected to take practical steps concerning inclusivity and creation of an environment for persons with disabilities. I am very glad that Ukrainian employers are showing interest in implementation of practical solutions for creation of an inclusive working environment”, Tetiana Minenko said.

According to her, the tools developed by the Confederation of Employers are practically  applicable and highly sought after now. They include development of internal inclusivity policies. “These policies and the tools of policy compliance implementation as such cannot be developed without consultations. Nothing about persons with disabilities without persons with disabilities”, Tetiana Minenko added.

Oksana Medvedska, Executive Director of the Confederation of Employers of Ukraine, noted that Ukrainian business is ready to engage persons with disabilities. 67% of the surveyed enterprises have no claim at all as to how employees with disabilities do their work. “85% don’t believe that employees with disabilities work with less activity. Meanwhile, many companies have no knowledge and experience concerning workplace adaptation for the needs of persons with disabilities or as regards preparing the work team for arrival of colleagues having disabilities. To overcome these difficulties and increase the employment rate of persons with disabilities, we have created the Razom (Together) platform – an advisory system that contains a large practical database on all questions that arise in preparation for engagement of persons with disabilities and in organization of their effective work within the team”, Oksana Medvedska said.

Olena Stepanenko, expert at the Confederation of Employers, pointed out that the number of people with disabilities had substantially grown because of the full-scale invasion. “These are professionals having knowledge, experience, and motivation. And the business’ task is not only to open the doors to these people but also to provide conditions where they will able to unlock their potential”, she said. According to her, job placement of persons with disabilities is not only social responsibility but also economic reasonability for a company. “The teams where diversity, equality and support are appreciated, work more effectively and are more resistant to challenges”, Olena Stepanenko noted, presenting the recommendations for employers on how to create and implement an internal corporate policy on integration of employees with disabilities. “The company should begin with self-assessment of its readiness for job placement of persons with disabilities. Then it needs to develop a policy of inclusivity at the enterprise. Monitoring of the policy implementation effectiveness must be carried out regularly. And, a very large and useful part of the recommendations is that they include a lot of information related exactly to ensuring reasonable accommodation of workplaces for male and female employees with disabilities, with interesting facts from the experience of the EU countries concerning state support of entrepreneurs”, Olena Stepanenko said.

Džemal Hodžić, Chief Technical Advisor of the ILO project “Inclusive labour markets for job creation in Ukraine”, pointed out importance of involving the State Employment Service in implementation of the projects of the Confederation of Employers of Ukraine because the Service is in direct contact both with employers and persons with disabilities.

Ihor Dehnera, Head of the State Labour Service of Ukraine, noted that an enterprise’s internal policy of inclusivity should be an efficient tool for development of the company. “Wide-scale outreach should be carried out to explain why adaptation of work teams is necessary, how to implement it correctly, and how to provide advisory assistance”, he said.

Svitlana Zapara, First Deputy Head of the National Mediation and Conciliation Service of Ukraine, drew attention to negotiations within the work teams that are able to help formulate a policy of inclusivity.

Viktoriia Vasylyeva, Director of the Department for Implementation of the Employment Policy at the State Employment Centre, emphasized an important role of mentors who can contribute to adaptation of employees with disabilities at the workplace.

Yurii Ivanov, Head of the Right to Work Division in the Department for Monitoring of Observance of Social and Economic Rights at the Office of the Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada Ukraine for Human Rights, pointed out that business is interested in bringing persons with disabilities to the labour market to overcome staff shortage.

The text has been prepared by the Confederation of Employers of Ukraine within the framework of the project "Establishing a consultative system for the integration of persons with disabilities into the workplace". This project is implemented with the support of the International Labour Organization’s initiative funded by the Government of Belgium, titled "ILO Support to Ukraine: prevention of labour exploitation and human trafficking, support to entrepreneurship development and social partners" as well as the ILO RBSA project "Promoting inclusive and sustainable reconstruction in Ukraine".