Statement: A flexible working life

The sustainable development of the Nordic welfare model is based on the ability of as many working age people as possible to be in employment. The labour market is a driving force in Nordic welfare societies and is of key importance to the business sector, as well as to individuals. A large and skilled workforce, good working conditions and a good work environment are crucial for creating a green, competitive and socially sustainable Nordic region. This requires an inclusive education and labour market policy. It also requires information initiatives and efforts to change the attitudes of employers, employees and society at large in order to provide opportunities for people with disabilities to establish themselves in the labour market.

Read more in the programme: Participation

In order to create an inclusive workplace for youth with disabilities, we need more flexibility.

During the pandemic we saw that not only is it possible to work more from home, it can also be very beneficial to a lot of people, including youth with disabilities. Being able to structure your own week and work from home most days or some days can lead to more autonomy and freedom to regulate your day in terms of social stimulation, energy, pain, concentration and health situation to suit your needs.

Furthermore, we need flexible working hours. A lot of people with disabilities have more healthcare appointments compared to other people, including doctors' visits and physiotherapy, to mention a few. Staying healthy is important to us and our well-being, and from a societal point of view — to ensure we can work for a long time! However, if we have to use our vacation days, work overtime or lose income for the time we spend at the doctors, some might end up not prioritising healthcare appointments at all.

We also need flexibility when it comes to assistance. Different countries organise personal assistants and work assistants in different ways. However, we all experience a lack of flexibility. We want to be able to take our personal assistants to work, and we want to have enough hours covered so that we can do our jobs and also enjoy our leisure time the way we prefer.

Lastly, we need flexibility when it comes to our welfare benefits and measures. In general, we find that the balance between the number of hours a disabled person can work while receiving welfare benefits and disability allowance or other financial measures is strict, rigid and not based on individual needs and resources. A lot of young people actually find it easiest not work than to work to the max of their individual capability. That is not beneficial for either the individual or from a socio-economic perspective.

The second key to an inclusive workplace is information. As employees we need information concerning our rights and our opportunities. At the same time employers also need more information about accessibility, rights, prejudice and attitudes in order to create an inclusive working environment. Ideally, we would like to have contact persons with knowledge about the rights of people with disabilities, opportunities, accessibility and solutions to guide employees with disabilities and employers who want to make their workplace more inclusive and accessible.

Lastly, as youth with disabilities we often end up being one step behind our peers. In most of our countries youth with disabilities struggle to find accessible parttime jobs, and working while studying fulltime is not a possibility for everyone. As a result, youth with disabilities often struggle to find a job due to a "lack of work experience". Moreover, we need guarantees of accommodation from social services. If you get a job but need workplace accommodations, aids or other facilitation measures in order to do the job, many disabled employees find that the processing time to get these accommodations, aids or other facilitation measures is so long that they might end up losing the job or starting much later than planned. With guarantees, you know that that the necessary workplace accommodations will be given to you when you get a job, and you won't have to start the process of getting the necessary workplace accommodations after you've got the job.

Read more:
New technology makes the labour market more inclusive, but several big challenges lay ahead