Social – legal discourse of the labor  integration of people with disabilities in the labor market in Bulgaria

 

In recent decades, a fundamental transformation in policies towards people with disabilities has been observed on a global scale. The outdated concepts of the medical model, in which disabled people are perceived as sick, isolated users of financial and social resources, have been replaced by policies of  integration of disabled people and creation of conditions for their personal and professional realization. The legal status of people with functional deficits is guaranteed through legislative and regulatory changes.

The trend towards integration and reintegration of this part of society into the labor market is becoming increasingly relevant in the context of the deepening demographic crisis in industrialized countries. According to information from the World Trade Organization, people with disabilities are approximately 10% of the population of each country. According to the UN, 82% of this vulnerable group in developing countries live below the poverty line, and according to the World Bank, people with various  deficits are 20% of the poorest people in the world.

  

In the European Union, about 80 million people have a disability. The 2011 EU-SILC statistics on income and living conditions show that about 26% of them of working age declare limitations due to urban barriers,  negative public attitudes and difficult access to education and jobs. In Europe, the share of poor  among people with disabilities is 70% higher than the average.[1] By degree of disability, 36.1% of working-age persons with permanent disabilities in 2015 were at risk of poverty or social exclusion. [2]

   

In Bulgaria, the deterioration of the demographic structure of the population in terms of labor market participants  is evident from the report  "Population and Demographic Processes in 2019“ of the National Statistical Institute. [5]  As of 31.12. 2019, the working-age population was 4,156,000, or 59.8% of the country's population. The last population census in 2011 included information on people with disabilities, which is important for  policies in the field of their social and labor integration. As of 01.02.2011, there were 465 228 people with disabilities aged 16 and over. Of these, 67 549 people were economically active between the ages of 16 and 64.[4]  & 3) The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union of 2009; 4) European Disability Strategy 2010-2020, etc.

   

The social and labor integration of people with disabilities in Bulgaria is regulated in a number of regulatory acts, including:1) Employment Promotion Act of 2002; 2) Integration of People with Disabilities Act of 2019; 3) Long-term Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities 2011-2020; 4) National Strategy for People with Disabilities 2016-2020; 5) Updated Employment Strategy of the Republic of Bulgaria of 2013; 6) The Program for Stable Development of the Republic of Bulgaria for the period 2014-2018; 7) National Reform Programme EUROPE 2020 from 2014; 8) National Employment Action Plan in 2019; 9) National Strategy for Poverty Reduction and Promotion of Social Inclusion, valid until the end of 2020; 10) Act on Persons with Disabilities from 2019 (PDLA); 11) Act on Personal Assistance, in force from 01.01.2019, etc.

So: the changed concept of disability as a social phenomenon places persons with functional deficits in the focus of European and national policiesics aimed at their social and labor integration on an equal footing with other members of society.

  

The subject of this empirical study is the trends in the attitudes of people with disabilities in Bulgaria to integrate into society through their participation in the labor market. The study was conducted during the period October 2019 - June 2020 and was implemented through voluntary  anonymous surveys on paper and electronic media. Some questions allow for more than one answer, which is why the sum of the percentages of these answers exceeds 100%, and the total number of respondents exceeds 550. The surveys are preceded by a Declaration of Informed Consent.

The target group of respondents includes economically active and economically inactive persons with varying degrees of disability and reduced working capacity of working age aged 16 and over. The opinion of 550 participants was studied and analyzed, 262 of whom  filled out the paper version of the survey, and  288 preferred its electronic form.

  

The statistical processing of the data is determined by the complex analysis of the  information, methods and techniques for its collection. For the distribution of variables and the description of their possible categories, descriptive statistics methods, as well as one-dimensional and two-dimensional frequency analysis were used. For this purpose, the number of units belonging to a given category was determined and their corresponding absolute and relative frequencies were calculated. The empirical data were processed using the SPSS Statistics 17.0.0 WinWrap Basic software package, Copyright 1993-2007 (SPSS Statistics, 2007-17). For better clarity and comparability of the results, the data were visualized  in tables and diagrams  using MS Excel 14.0.7237.5000, Ms Office Pro Plus 2010© (18). [6],[7]

 

In structuring the survey, formulating the questions and the answer options, the author used the terminology used in current Bulgarian legislation and regulatory documents. In the USSR, the term "people with disabilities" includes persons with physical, mental, intellectual and sensory impairments, which, in interaction with their environment, could hinder their full and effective participation in public life. “People with permanent disabilities“ are persons with permanent physical, mental, intellectual and sensory insufficiency, which in interaction with their surrounding environment could prevent their full and effective participation in public life, and for whom the medical expertise has established the type and degree of disability of 50% and over 50%. According to the NSI Methodology, used in the 2011 population census, the degrees of disability or lost working capacity  are differentiated into the following groups: up to 50%; from 50 to 70%; from 71 to 90%; over 90%.   The same Methodology defines as economically active  all employed and unemployed persons, and as economically inactive - persons aged 16  and over, who are neither employed nor unemployed during the surveyed period. After 2000, the medical examination determines the work capacity of the injured persons based on criteria in which the health condition of the injured person has no relation to his/her residual work capacity, profession and work experience. The questionnaire survey contains questions with the following focus:

 

                         Table №1 Social – demographic profile of respondents

 

Respondents		Relative share (%)	number of persons
Gender	men	43.5	239
	women	56.5	311
Age	from 18 – 35 years	16.7	92
	of 35 – 55 years	33.1	182
	from 55 – 65 years.	28.7	158
	over 65	21.5	118
Marital status	Married / married	38	209
	Single	21.6	119
	Divorced / a	17.6	97
	Widow / widow	13.3	73
	Living with a partner  on a conjugal basis	9.5	52
Education	With higher education	41.45	228
	With secondary education, incl. students	45.82	252
	With primary education	12	66
	He did not attend school	0.73	4

    

The data from Table 1 show that women (56%) are more active in the survey compared to men (43.5%). The majority of participants are between the ages of 35-55 (33.1%), followed by thoseand aged between 55-65 years (28.7%). Respondents over 65 years old are 21.5%. The smallest number is in the age range 18-35 years old (16.7%). In terms of family status, married people dominate (38%); single people make up 21.6%; divorced people are 17.6%; widowed people are 13.3%, and those living in a family are 9.5% of the respondents. The number of respondents with secondary education, including students, slightly exceeds that of respondents with higher education, respectively 45.82%  compared to 41.45%; people with primary education are 12% of the participants, and those who have not attended school are 0.73%. The assumptions are that the socio-demographic profile of the survey participants influences the answers to the following questions in the questionnaire.

  

The second section aims to clarify the degree, type and number of disabilities of the respondents, established by medical expertise bodies, as well as the organs and systems affected by the disabilities. According to the percentage of reduced working capacity, the survey participants are distributed as follows: 187 people have a disability between 71% - 90%; 174 people have a disability between 51% - 70%; 95 participants have the highest degree of disability of 91% - 100%; 94 people or 17.1% of the respondents have a disability below 50%, requiring long-term supportive  specific treatment. (Fig.1)

 

Fig. No. 1 Degree of reduced working capacity

 

The list of diseases from the questionnaire survey was prepared on the basis of Art. 37, para. 3 of the Health Insurance Act and includes chronic disabling diseases (Fig. 2)

 

Fig. No. 2Type of diseases(possibility to indicate not  more than one answer)

Fig.№3 Type of disability (more than one answer)

     

 

Judging by the results of Fig.3, the overwhelming number of 73.8% declare that their disability is acquired; 18.7%  claim that their acquired  disability is not related to a congenital anomaly. On the other hand, 42.5% of respondents noted that their disability was congenital; 6.9% declared that their disability was a consequence of the congenital anomaly.

     

Fig. No. 4 Number of disabilities established by decisions of an expert committee

 

 

 The data show a preponderance of respondents with two or more disabling disabilities (51.6%) compared to those who declare one  disabling disability  & The author aims to investigate whether  these factors influence  the attitudes of persons with disabilities to improve  their quality of  life by achieving  higher incomes from employment, despite the claims of some researchers that the emotional – mental well-being of the individual is not directly related to the comfort of increased income.[3]

 

Fig.№5  General health and emotional – mental state:

 

                                                   

Fig.#6 Average monthly income:                                                                                                Fig. No. 7 Standard of living                                                            

 

 

 

The answers visualized in Fig. 8 aim to ascertain the degree of awareness of persons with disabilities about the changes in the regulatory framework governing the situation of this vulnerable group of society as a whole.

 

Fig. №8  The benefits of the current changes in the legislation concerning people with disabilities

  

Important in view of the topic of the study are the answers to the questions concerning the work initiative of people with deficits and their attitude to participate in the labor market.  

 

Fig. No. 9  Employment of people with disabilities(more than one answer)

 

 The figures reveal a trend towards increasing labor activity of  persons with disabilities. The number of respondents who work, sometimes in more than one form of employment, prevails. It is interesting to note that  44 persons who declared running their own business also indicated that they were  self-employed. However, a significant part of the survey participants (36.5%) stated that they were not working. The reasons why persons with disabilities work are summarized in Fig. 10

 

 Fig. №10 Reasons for people with disabilities to participate in the labor market(more than one answer)

   

   

The data show that for 91.6% of respondents, financial reasons are a priority factor for their participation in the labor market, which confirms the fact that this group is among the poorest in society. The difference is relatively small between those who declared the need to overcome social isolation as a reason (38.7%) and those for whom the opportunity for professional expression is important (almost 40%). The number of those who marked all of the listed reasons is insignificant (1.5%). The need for additional income is a reason for people with disabilities to engage in various forms of employment and / or to work in more than one job. (Fig.11)

   

Fig.№11 Activity of people with disabilities in  searching for a job(more than one answer)

 

    

   

Of the persons with deficits, 37.3% declare that they are looking for a job corresponding to  their education and qualifications; 21.5% respond that they are looking for any job outside the home; almost 15% prefer a job according to their qualifications and education at home; about 10% are ready to do any work at home; 3.3% find it difficult to answer; 32.4%   admit that they are not looking for a job and obviously rely on the support of the social system. The results confirm the optimistic trend for the readiness of people with disabilities for labor integration, using their intellectual, educational and professional capacity.

   

The purpose of the next question is to  clarify the attitude  of the respondents towards the quota principle for employing people with disabilities, introduced with the latest amendments to the Labor Code. (Fig.12)

 

    Fig.№12 Do you approve of the quota principle for employing people with disabilities

 

     

The small differences in the data illustrate the ambiguous attitude of this vulnerable group to the state's latest attempt to create conditions for their labor integration and to help resolve the labor shortage crisis. Although the Labor Code contains a provision for quotas of people with disabilities, with the latest amendments to the Labor Code, the state regulates strict conditions under which employers are obliged to hire such persons. It is publicly known that  some entrepreneurs  prefer to pay the penalty instead of hiring people with disabilities. In the context of  the motivation of disabled people to integrate into the labor market, it is necessary to study their answers to the question of why employers refrain from hiring them. (Fig. 13).

Fig.№13 Reasons why businesses do not hire people with disabilities (more than one answer)

 

 

The data categorically prove that, according to 70.4% of those surveyed, the most important reasons for businesses to refrain from hiring them are the lack of suitable work and the inability to adapt the working environment to their specific needs and everyday needs. It is interesting to note the coincidence in the number of responses of  267 people  (48.5%) that entrepreneurs distrust the professional capacity of the disabled and that persons with disabilities are often absent for reasons related to their condition. A significant 32% of respondents are of the opinion that the protectionist policy towards persons with disabilities and administrative coercion are decisive for some employers to prefer sanctions to the problems arising when employing persons from this contingent.

   

The results of Fig. 14 reflect the point of view of the respondents regarding the causes of unemployment among a significant part of people with disabilities.

 

Fig.№14  Reasons why people with disabilities are unemployed (more than one answer)

 

   

The overwhelming 80.9% confirm the data from Fig.13, indicating the inability to find a suitable job as the most significant reason for unemployment among them. The lack of specialized transport, infrastructure and suitable living conditions at the workplace are  important for 60.9% of the respondents.  Almost equal is the share of 41.3%  of the disabled, who believe that the difficulty of adapting to the workload and the specifics of the production process prevents their inclusion in the labor market, compared to 39.5%, for whom the lack of appropriate education and qualification is a determining factor for unemployment among persons with disabilities. The following data are similar: for 36.2% the reason is  low wages, and for 33.6%  the non-participation of persons with disabilities in the production process is a consequence of the lack of work habits and discipline at the workplace. The relatively small share of 14.7% of those who indicate that they are not looking for work again confirms  the tendency for people in disadvantaged situations to integrate into society through their work.

  

The following data illustrate  the willingness of respondents to continue to qualify in order to meet the requirements of the position they hold.

Fig. No. 15 Would you participate in qualification courses (more than one answer)

     

The share of those who categorically stated that they want to develop professionally exceeds by about 7% the share of those who would qualify if the training was subsidized; 17.6% believe that their qualification corresponds to the position held; almost 10% cannot answer.

  

Although the market economy creates conditions for the development of economic

initiative and entrepreneurship,  the data from Fig.16 indicate an almost equal share of enterprising and unsure of their ability  to start their own business. 

Fig.№16  Would you start your own business?

        

   

Although slightly more prevalent are those who believe they are professionally prepared, have start-up capital and are capable of starting their own business (42.7%); 41.1% state that they do not have the appropriate education, management capacity and funds to establish a company; 16.2% of respondents  cannot answer.

   

The last question of the survey aims to determine the willingness of  an entrepreneur with a disability to hire  other persons with disabilities, given  the challenges facing every business and the problems of a health, emotional – mental and social nature concerning persons with deficits. (Fig.17)

 

 

 

Fig.№17 Would you hire people with disabilities  (more than one answer)   

  

 

The fact that 79.8% of the responses are positive shows the willingness of employers with disabilities to hire persons with deficits on the one hand  because they are confident in their motivation to work and will cope with their professional duties, and on the other hand, because, knowing their specific needs, they can create working conditions and household comforts for them; 30% of respondents cannot answer this question.  

     

Conclusion: The results of the empirical study confirm that there is no direct correlation between the health status of people with disabilities  and their educational and employment potential. The majority of respondents declare their willingness to be part of all sectors of the open labor market. Although the leading motive  for most of them is financial, for a significant percentage of respondents it is important to overcome social isolation and the possibility of professional realization, including through qualification and retraining. Demotivating factors are the distrust of employers in the work capacity of disabled people and the resistance of some of them against sanctions for refusing to hire disabled people. The survey data indicate that debates on the provision of suitable jobs, accessibility and adaptation of the work environment should continue both at government and expert levels, as well as with the stakeholders themselves.

    References:

European Strategy for People with Disabilities 2010-2020: A renewed commitment to a barrier-free Europe.

1. Joint Employment Report 2019 - European Commission; ec.europa.eu

2. Layard, Richard, Happiness: Lessons from a New Science. London:Penguin,2006

3. National Statistical Institute. Census 2011. https://www.nsi.bg/census2011

4. "Population and demographic processes in 2019" of the National Statistical Institute.

5. SPSS Statistics 17.0.0 WinWrap Basic, Copyright 1993-2007 Polar Engineering and Consulting. 18. Excel 14.0.7237.5000 Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010^©, 2010 Microsoft Corporation         

Veleva, P. 2019, Introduction to statistical methods. Chapter II of the monograph: Statistical software for experimental data processing, Reviewers: Galya Kozhuharova and Yanka Tsvetanova, Academic Publishing House Thracian University - Stara Zagora, ISBN: 978-954-338-152-4 (in Bulgarian)