News item | 07-06-2023 | 19:32
More people with an occupational disability are employed by regular employers. That is the aim of the Job Agreement, for which Minister Carola Schouten (Poverty Policy, Participation and Pensions) is responsible. Today she is announcing additional steps to improve the Job Agreement.
It is not self-evident for people with an occupational disability that they will find a job with a regular employer. For this reason, the Job Agreement was created in the 2013 social agreement, an agreement between government and market employers to create 125,000 additional jobs before 2026. By the end of 2021, 73,000 additional jobs have been created. Minister Schouten is convinced that things must and can be done better. That is why she is taking concrete steps towards improvement. In a letter to the House of Representatives, the minister writes, among other things, that more people will belong to the Job Agreement target group, that wage cost subsidies will be possible for people in the WIA and that people who already belong to the Job Agreement but are not yet working will be actively identified. . We will also be submitting the simplified job agreement bill.
Minister Schouten:
Work is an extremely important part of life for many people. It offers social security, increases the social network and contributes to a sense of self-esteem. Certainly people with an occupational disability, who already have to fight for many things in life, deserve a fair chance at a job. Many employers already offer work. I am very grateful to them for that. But, it can definitely be better. Especially with the government. We must take that step forward together. These measures contribute to this.
Improving matching
We are not there yet with, among other things, broadening the target group and getting a better picture of it, and offering jobs on the other. After all, not all jobs are right for every person. That is why new agreements have been made with employers and the implementation to further improve matching.