EASPD invites you to join us for our International Conference: ‘The Future of the Right to Work: What Role for the Social Economy?’ The conference will bring together key stakeholders to explore role of social economy to improve Labour Market Outcomes as well as identify how to maximise its potential. Hosted in Zagreb, Croatia the conference will take place on 5th-6th May 2022.
In addition to the conference, EASPD members can also attend the Board meeting (for board members only on 4th May), Member Fora meetings (on the 5th-6th May) and the General Assembly (7th May). EASPD also invites conference participants to its Conference Dinner, hosted on 5th May.
Working language of the conference: English.
Real-time captioning: English.
Interpretation will be available in Croatian
Conference Venue: HoB – Mozaik Event Centar/Plaza Event Center, Slavonska avenija 6 10 000 Zagreb Croatia
Registration have shut.
The conference is co-hosted by the European Association of Service providers for Persons with Disabilities and OSVIT.
The European Association of Service providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD) represents the interests of over 20,000 social care and support service providers for persons with disabilities across 41 countries.
Association OSVIT represents service providers working in the field of vocational rehabilitation and employment for persons with disabilities in Croatia, as well as sheltered workshops and integrative workshops. In the past 20 years OSVIT has organised 15 international expert conferences on employment and vocational rehabilitation in Croatia and published numerous professional literature, all in order to improve labour market and encourage discussion of all the institutions who work with persons with disabilities, civil society, person with disabilities themselves and to identify problems and offer models of their solutions. OSVIT’s partner in organising this conference is National Institute for Disability Certification, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities.
Rationale of the conference
The world of work is going through important transitions, in particular but not only due to the impact of digitalisation over each and every industry. Work itself is changing. Job opportunities are evolving. The organisation of labour is adapting to this next context. These transitions also come at the same time as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which impacts our economies but also accelerates some of these transitions. In short, the future of work will look very different in a decade than it looks like today; with the benefits and downsides that come with it.
Changes to the future of work has consequences for persons with disabilities and their work opportunities. Already today, persons with disabilities are far more likely to be unemployed than persons without disabilities with a difference of approximately 50% for the former compared to 70-75% for the latter. This is on top of not considering the situation of millions of inactive persons with disabilities across the continent. How will these changes affect persons with disabilities and their employment? Will it create more or less opportunities?
The Social Economy is a major player in the field of work for persons with disabilities; by employing, training or supporting millions of persons with disabilities to get jobs across the continent. Progress is certainly being made, in particular around support models on the open labour market. Yet ongoing challenges persist, highlighted by continued high rates of unemployment, poverty and social exclusion for persons with disabilities. How can the Social Economy adapt both to changes to the world of work but also make the progress needed to support more persons with disabilities in accessing quality jobs?
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and particularly article 27, is the compass for how persons with disabilities can enjoy access to work and employment on an equal basis to others. It challenges policy makers, businesses and others to do more and better to create the right framework conditions. It also challenges the Social Economy; in particular over its capacity to create decent and inclusive jobs for persons with disabilities on the open labour market. How can the Social Economy become part of the progressive realisation of the right to work for persons with disabilities?
The International Conference “The Future of the Right to Work: What Role for the Social Economy?” will be the place-to-be to discuss how the Social Economy can help create quality and inclusive jobs for persons with disabilities in the future of work. The Conference will:
- Provide concrete success stories and practical examples as to how the Social Economy can help persons with disabilities to enjoy the right to work and employment on an equal basis to others.
- Refine what a quality job is for persons with disabilities and what this means for the Social Economy.
- Identify what skills are needed to create job opportunities in the future
- Explore how the future of work will impact the Social Economy (and vice versa).
- Discuss if and how the Social Economy can contribute more to the implementation of Article 27 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
- Learn more about the actions the European Union is taking to boost labour market outcomes for persons with disabilities, including through the Social Economy Action Plan.