Employment of People with Disabilities: Europe vs Poland vs Ukraine
Why this matters
Disability is not a niche topic. In the EU, about 24% of people aged 16+ have some form of disability — roughly 107 million people. Yet work opportunities are still far from equal.
Europe (EU): the gap is still large
Eurostat's latest EU-wide figures for 2024 show a 24.0 percentage-point employment gap between people with and without disabilities. Unemployment is also higher: in 2024, the unemployment rate for people (15–64) with a disability was 9.5%, vs 5.9% for people without a disability; for people with a severe disability it reached 11.6%. And staying unemployed tends to last longer: 45.0% of unemployed people with a severe disability were unemployed for 12+ months (EU, 2024).
Poland: millions of people, low employment rate
Poland has a large community of people with formally recognised disability. Statistics Poland reports about 4.0 million people with a valid disability certificate/decision as of December 2023. At the same time, labour market participation remains low. Based on Labour Force Survey-based reporting for 2022, the employment rate of people with disabilities of working age was about 32.2% (with activity rate ~34.2%). OECD analysis also highlights how low participation is: labour force participation of people with disabilities (15–64) was about 34% in 2022.
Ukraine: war increases disability — and raises urgency for jobs
Ukraine's context is shaped by the full-scale invasion and its long-term consequences. A 2025 humanitarian-focused analysis estimates over 6 million people in Ukraine may have a disability, with about 3 million formally recognised, and notes the war is creating new disabilities across ages. Recent Ukraine-focused research (2025) discusses a ~30% employment rate for people with disabilities and the policy challenge of raising it.
What's behind the numbers (common barriers)
- Inaccessible recruitment (forms, interviews, tests, office requirements)
- Transport and workplace accessibility
- Benefit traps (fear of losing support when starting work)
- Skills mismatch and limited reskilling opportunities
- Employer uncertainty about accommodations and costs
What helps (practical steps for employers)
- Accessible job posts (clear tasks, essential requirements only, multiple contact options)
- Flexible formats (remote/hybrid, flexible hours, written interview options)
- Accommodation budget + a simple process (one clear owner, quick decisions)
- Structured hiring (reduce bias: scorecards, skills-based tasks)
- Retention first (onboarding support, check-ins, manager training)
Prosvasimi's goal
Prosvasimi exists to connect talent with employers who are ready to hire inclusively — and to make the path to employment clearer, faster, and more accessible for candidates.
