A new practitioner toolkit from the PES Network provides practical guidance for how Public Employment Services (PES) across Europe can combat labour market discrimination against persons with disabilities and further their effective participation in the labour market. The accessible toolkit is a key output of the European Commission’s new Disability Employment Package - a flagship initiative of the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The European PES Network has launched an accessible “Practitioner toolkit on strengthening PES to improve the labour market outcomes of persons with disabilities”. The toolkit, developed in cooperation with PES, aims to support PES in meeting their collective ambition – as defined by 2021 PES Network Strategy – to better support vulnerable social groups and the integration of persons excluded from the labour market.

As PES have different remits and responsibilities for providing services in this area, the toolkit has been designed to be useful for all PES irrespective of their particular operational delivery model. Within these differing national contexts, it aims to provide inputs for the development or adaptation of strategies, as well as inspire PES with new practices or ways of implementing them.

Why?: in section 1, the toolkit explains why action is needed by PES, supported by relevant statistics, a presentation of the EU policy framework and an overview of the current situation of PES services in this field.

What?: in section 2, the toolkit provides inspiration and guidance on tools that can be used by PES to combat discrimination and further the effective labour market participation of persons with disabilities. The guidance is structured under six action areas – all supported by a broad range of practical examples - covering both internal and externally facing policies and practices.

How?: in section 3, the toolkit sets out the five concrete steps that PES can follow in order “to go from intention to implementation” in strengthening their services for persons with disabilities. Read the toolkit to find out what they are!

The toolkit intends to support PES in their role as key agents for the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). It is a deliverable of the European Commission’s new Disability Employment Package - a flagship initiative of the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030.