Did you know that globally, the World Bank considers that leaving people with disability outside the economy, translates into a foregone GDP of about 5% to 7%?

According to the International Labor Organization, the disabled population makes up about 15% of the total world population; which is about one billion. Not only that, but out of the total disabled population 80% of the population is of working age group. Oftentimes, it is quite common that the right to work of the people with disability is denied. There are many drawbacks; some are just myths which may have been applicable back in 20th century. But times have changed. Working in the 21st century is much more than having to moving around at work. The technological advancements and innovations have not only enabled the general population a much more comfortable life and work experience, but an opportunity for the usually neglected classes in our society has been presented as well. A disabled employee sometimes may give an equal output at work similar to your usual employee, or maybe even more. As per a recent analysis by a Hospitality major:

The Differently-abled workforce is 15% more productive at work and they are 25% less likely to leave organisations

Gone are those days when they weren’t accepted to be worked with. The upcoming working generations, prefers diversity in the workplace; which is not limited to people coming from different parts of the world but from different classes as well. You as an employer may want to consider that if you want to attract the best talent. Just about showcasing diversity may term you as a desired employer. Discussed below are the benefits of employing a disabled employee.

• Employer Branding: As mentioned earlier, choosing to employ a disabled employee undoubtedly brands you as an employer of choice among the people. Simultaneously, this will assist in bringing up the talent pool. More so, a survey conducted by University of Massachusetts, about 92% of the population in America view organizations more favorable when they employ people with disability more.

• Employee Retention: You may or may not employ a disabled person, but what happens when a current employee of yours acquires a disability? Hence, adopting a policy of employing disabled population as well shall help in employee retention as well in the long term.
• Enhanced Market understanding: Accepting disabled persons into the workforce of your organization brings in a diverse amount of skilled talent. More creative brains may add up to better market understanding and product development as well. In reference to what was mentioned earlier, these diverse employees will add to the organizations thinking capacity; this then results in understanding 15% of the remaining population of the world. This may give you an edge over other competitors of yours.
• Desired Employee: The upcoming generations, which include both Millennials and Gen – Z, prefer diversity at workplace. They believe in investing in a cause and hence, as they notice that you employ a diverse workforce, you’ll undoubtedly become more desired over other employers.
• Work Spirit: People with disability wear confidence and perseverance with them at all times. This is passed to those around them and hence a sense of morality is accumulated in the workplace. They integrate crowd wherever they go.

The last census conducted on 2011, showed that in India there were about 13.4 million disabled people in the working age group of 15 to 64 years. Out of which 9.9 million of them are still non-workers or marginal workers. One of the most crucial initiatives taken by the government is of skilling 5 lakh PwDs (Persons with Disabilities). This gives them an opportunity to get employed and prove themselves. This class has seen more light in the public sector compared to the private. Deputy managing director and corporate development officer of State Bank of India, Ashwini Mehra, according to whom, PwDs display more commitment to their jobs and eventually produce good performance. The Indian government and healthy lobbying by private associations like NASSCOM are hopeful that a Law will be implemented in this year that brings a lot of hope for People with Disabilities (PwDs) and give a major boost to diversity at workplace.

During this age of hiring, talent acquisition has become much more competitive with increased workforce lacking talent. The Evil of Discrimination based on Disability and other factors are more and more being mitigated to source skilled workers. We fail to accommodate the disabled class into the talent pool. They are worth much more than we see them as. They are equal and deserve an equal opportunity. It’s time we give them their right.