In November 2025, the European Commission launched a consultation to shape its update of the Strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities 2021-2030.
With the Strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities 2021-2030, the European Commission aims to improve the lives of persons with disabilities in Europe and around the world by eliminating barriers. The Strategy covers multiple areas, including social protection and employment.
Updating the Strategy with the Communication ‘Enhancing the strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities up to 2030’ presents an opportunity to set new priorities and strengthen efforts towards a more inclusive labour market for persons with disabilities. One of the core objectives of the PATHS2INCLUDE project is to improve public knowledge and support policy learning on the factors that enable or hinder the inclusion of persons in vulnerable situations in the labour market.
In this context, we have contributed our research insights to the consultation to help inform the updated Strategy and advance more inclusive labour markets. These are some of the key messages in our response:
- European and international databases on employment and labour market information lack detailed and harmonised data to assess the situation of persons with disabilities. Statistics on disability should be strengthened to better assess the barriers faced by persons with disabilities and identify which policy interventions are most effective in addressing their exclusion from the labour market (see also our opinion piece on this topic).
- Disability remains one of the most significant drivers of labour market exclusion, often interacting with other factors, such gender, socioeconomic background, and education. The updated strategy should consider policies with an intersectional approach.
- Gaps persist between organisations’ formal disability policy frameworks and organisational practice. The strategy should focus on supporting employers with translating inclusive hiring commitments into practice.
Access our contribution here.