1. Home
  2. Studies
  3. The Employment Situation for People with Disabilities
Christoph Metzler / Dirk Werner IW-Trends No. 4 20. December 2017 The Employment Situation for People with Disabilities

Though there is still room for improvement, the situation on the German labour market for people with severe disabilities is generally good. While in 2013 only 42.8 per cent of 25- to 64-year-olds were employed, 45.6 per cent did not wish to work and only 2.8 per cent were officially unemployed.

Download PDF
The Employment Situation for People with Disabilities
Christoph Metzler / Dirk Werner IW-Trends No. 4 20. December 2017

The Employment Situation for People with Disabilities

IW-Trends

German Economic Institute (IW) German Economic Institute (IW)

Though there is still room for improvement, the situation on the German labour market for people with severe disabilities is generally good. While in 2013 only 42.8 per cent of 25- to 64-year-olds were employed, 45.6 per cent did not wish to work and only 2.8 per cent were officially unemployed.

Some people with disabilities – around 8 percent – do not work in the primary labour market, but in sheltered workshops. The situation varies considerably from region to region. In Baden-Württemberg, nearly every second person with a severe disability is gainfully employed, whereas in Saxony-Anhalt this is true for only one in four. Other things being equal, the greater the degree of disability, the lower the likelihood of gainful employment. In the primary labour market, net earned incomes for the severely disabled are little different from those without a disability. Further research is needed to establish why so many of the disabled have no interest in employment.

Download PDF
The Employment Situation for People with Disabilities
Christoph Metzler / Dirk Werner IW-Trends No. 4 20. December 2017

Christoph Metzler / Dirk Werner: Die Erwerbssituation von Menschen mit Behinderung

IW-Trends

German Economic Institute (IW) German Economic Institute (IW)

More on the topic

Read the article
The Pros and Cons of Trade Union Membership
Helena Bach / Carolin Fulda / Sandra Vogel IW-Trends No. 1 12. March 2024

The Pros and Cons of Trade Union Membership

The decline in collective bargaining coverage in Germany is often attributed to the reluctance of companies to join an employers' association which negotiates collective agreements.

IW

Read the article
Andrea Hammermann / Oliver Stettes IW-Report No. 62 10. December 2023

Office work in transition: Analysis of the working conditions of office workers

Office work has changed considerably over time and reflects both technical progress and the zeitgeist of the decades.

IW

More about this topic

Content element with id 8880 Content element with id 9713