23 % of people with disabilities have a job

Work & training
23 % of people with disabilities have a job

3rd December, International Day of Persons with Disabilities

According to Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, 9 % of the 15-64-year-olds have a disability or health problems that severely limit their daily activities. 23 % of them have a job. Half of these jobs (51 %) are adapted to their specific needs.

In Belgium, 9 % of the population aged between 15 and 64 say they are severely limited in their daily activities because of a disability or a longstanding health problem (source: Labour Force Survey 2017). This limitation is slightly more prevalent among women.

56 % of this highly limited population is aged 50 to 64. Half of them have not obtained a higher diploma than lower secondary education, and only 13 % have obtained a higher education diploma, whereas this is the case for a third of the total population in Belgium.

These limitations also have an impact on the work situation of this population: only 23 % have a job. Their unemployment rate is 3 percentage points higher than that of the total population and 74 % of them are inactive, i.e. unemployed and not looking for a job or not available for work.