Spanish clothing group Inditex aims to significantly increase the number of its employees with disabilities worldwide within two years, in the company’s branded retail stores, logistics platforms, distribution centers and offices. Overall, the plan is to hire more than 1,500 skilled workers, doubling the number of employees with some form of disability.
Inditex CEO Óscar García Maceiras announced the new commitment Thursday morning at a meeting with International Labor Organization (ILO) Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo. As part of this, the clothing group confirmed the ILO’s ‘Global Business and Disability Network’, a worldwide network for promoting the integration of disabled people in the workplace.
Inditex is committed to the ILO’s ‘Global Business and Disability Network’
García Maceiras emphasized that “the integration of people with disabilities in the workplace is a central part of our commitment to people. Diversity, fairness and inclusion are values we all embrace, values we pursue every day to make a difference both within Inditex and around us: our promise is to create opportunities for all.”
“Companies are increasingly recognizing that their diversity, equality and inclusion efforts must include the inclusion of people with disabilities in order to lead to positive and sustainable corporate change. The ILO’s Global Business and Disability Network provides a unique space for companies to learn from and support one another on their disability inclusion journey,” said Houngbo.
Together with the ILO, Inditex will strive to create inclusive workplaces that aim to provide equal opportunities for career development for people with disabilities through various initiatives.
The initiative is part of the Group’s inclusion strategy, which rests on four pillars: promoting inclusive recruitment and career development and accessible workplaces that ensure equal opportunities, enabling an inclusive shopping experience and raising disability awareness throughout the team.