Some 30,000 disabled people could benefit from this scheme.

The government recruitment aid scheme, presented in July to promote the employment of people under 26 years old, is going to be extended to unemployed people with disabilities, “with no age limit”, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on Wednesday, August 26th. The government will release 100 million euros for this purpose.

“The country’s recovery must be a recovery for the entire national community, and especially we must make a special effort for those who may encounter specific difficulties,” explained the head of government. He was speaking in Paris at the close of the first summer universities of the National Consultative Council for People with Disabilities.

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The grant will be 4,000 euros, allocated for the recruitment – on a permanent or fixed-term contract of over 3 months, and for a salary equivalent to a maximum of two minimum wages – of an employee with the recognition of a disabled worker.

Effective for employment contracts signed between September 1st, 2020 and February 28th, 2021, it is part of the recovery plan expected on September 3rd and will be paid in quarterly instalments over a one-year period.

Overall, some 30,000 people with disabilities could benefit from this scheme, Sophie Cluzel, the Secretary of State in charge of the matter, told the AFP press agency.

An “incentive” plan for the employment of disabled people by companies

“Lowering the cost of labour is essential for employers,” she said, convinced that this plan would be “a great incentive.” “It was important to remove this age barrier,” in order to “get a foot on the ladder,” for jobseekers with disabilities, she said.

Just before the epidemic crisis, the government had welcomed encouraging figures on the employment of people with disabilities. By the end of 2019, the number of unemployed disabled workers had fallen below the symbolic 500,000 mark.

The unemployment rate of people with disabilities has decreased by one point in one year, from 17% in 2018 to 16% in 2019. However, it remains about twice as high as the rate of the overall labour force.

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Jean Castex, who was speaking wearing a transparent mask – allowing lip-reading by deaf and hard-of-hearing people – also announced that all his public speeches would now be translated into sign language.

The government needs to be more careful that its communication is accessible to people with disabilities, he agreed, adding: “To speed this up, I will start with myself”.

Among the masks the government may soon recommend, transparent masks will be mentioned. Because they are “very respectful of people with disabilities,” the Prime Minister added.