Above a certain size, companies are obliged to hire people with disabilities – otherwise compensation payments will be due. This affects thousands of companies in Thuringia.
Weimar (dpa/th) – According to the state administration office, employers in Thuringia had to pay around 15 million euros in compensation last year because they hired no or too few severely disabled people. That was around 2 million euros more than in 2018, as the deputy head of the integration office based in the authority, Annett Theus, told the German Press Agency. Companies with 20 or more employees are obliged to fill at least five percent of the positions with severely disabled people.
According to the integration office, this affects around 4,500 companies on the primary labor market in Thuringia. Of these, almost 2,300 would have to make a compensation payment, Theus said. 929 of these companies did not employ any severely disabled people at all, others too few. In her opinion, the fact that the total amount of payments has increased in recent years could possibly be related to the corona pandemic. In general, there have been fluctuations over the years. In good economic times with a corresponding need for workers, it can be observed that fewer compensation payments are made. Among other things, these payments benefit companies that have additional expenses due to the employment of severely disabled people.
Since this year, the integration offices of the federal states have also been responsible for advising employers on hiring people with disabilities. According to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, five regional contact points have been created in Thuringia in Schleusingen, Leinefelde, Apolda, Saalfeld and at the Thuringian Business Education Center in East Thuringia. The need for support and advice is high, said Theus. It is often about funding opportunities for companies that hire severely disabled people.
Before the international day of people with disabilities on December 3rd, politicians from several parties in Thuringia emphasized the value of work for the participation of people with disabilities in social life. According to an overview by the State Statistical Office, around 205,000 people in Thuringia were severely disabled last year, including 85,000 people between the ages of 18 and 65. People with an officially recognized degree of disability of 50 are considered to be severely disabled.
