Over and above the Building and Planning Act, which also contains regulations for workplaces, the Work Environment Act prescribes that employers must adapt the physical environment, work organisations, etc. so that they too suit the needs of people with functional impairments.
There are a number of employment policy measures aimed at making it easier for people with functional impairments to find work on the open market, or, where this is not possible, at creating alternative employment opportunities.
Assessment of working capacity, occupational rehabilitation and vocational guidance is provided at the employability institutes, whose activities form part of the state Labour Market Administration. The institutes have recently been reorganised into more decentralised units with explicit requirements concerning financial performance.
Financial contributions are made to employers who recruit employees with functional impairments at the pay rates and on the terms that apply under ordinary collective agreements between trade unions and employers. Grants are available for employers who adapt their workplaces to the need of people with functional impairments, install technical aids or engage special assistants.
Training of persons with functional impairments may be combined with probationary employment in the company concerned. Rehabilitation and medical, social and vocational training must take place over a relatively short and intensive period, the aim being to enable people to enter employment as soon as possible.
Samhall
There is a group of companies formerly owned by the state, nowadays in the form of a limited company, which is responsible for all sheltered employment in Sweden. This group is Samhall AB.
Around 31.000 persons with occupational disabilities are employed in these companies, which are engaged primarily in industrial manufacturing but to a growing extent in service production as well.
Samhall is intended to provide meaningful work that develops the skills of persons with occupational disabilities where needs exist. At the same time, the enterprises are intended to function as one among others in Swedish business and industry. The government determines the total number of hours for the minimum number of job opportunities for persons with occupational disabilities that Samhall is expected to offer. Operations are financed by the sale of goods and services produced and through state remuneration that is set annually by the government and the Swedish Parliament.
Municipal day centres are available for people with intellectual impairments. Here daily activities are organised for them, including some paid work.
Resources in Sweden to facilitate transition to working life for persons with disabilities
- Within the school
Study and guidance counsellors (SYO-konsulent):
Inform pupils about different study options, labour market, choice of occupation etc and also assist in finding work practice places
Work experience programme (PRAO):
Shorter periods (a week) at a workplace where pupils should get an insight into conditions of working life
- The Swedish National Labour Market Administration
Resources directed to those looking for work:
”Employment exchange Young Handicapped (Arbetsförmedlingen Unga Handikappade)”
which only exists in the County of Stockholm is a special employment exchange for young people with disabilities (up to the age of 30):
- Provide vocational counselling prior to choosing occupation
- Help in finding work practice places
- Help in adapting workplaces and provision of aids
Special Introductions and Follow-up Support (SIUS)
SIUS is a programme for those who are in need of special support and looking for work. SIUS consultants visit the workplace and provide help during the initial period to enable job seekers to start working, and thereafter maintain regular contact with both the employer and employee.
Employment exchange Rehab:
Employment exchange for unemployed persons with some form of work handicap. There are different specialist competences such as work consultants, psychologists, physiotherapists, social behavioural consultants as well as access to doctors.
The service consists of:
- Occupational psychological investigation
- Dialogue and counselling on social questions
- Functional assessment
- Testing of aids to be used at work
- Adaptation of workplaces
- Rehabilitation in real environments
- Information on study and vocational counselling, and also labour market
Labour market policy measures directed to employers:
Salary grants
Salary grants may be provided to employers who employ persons who because of disabilities have impaired capacity to work and can be expected to encounter difficulties in getting and keeping employment on the regular labour market. The grant is regularly reviewed.
Publicly protected work (OSA)
State grants can be provided to employers in the public sector who provide protected work i.e. work specially adapted for persons with disabilities and intended for job applicants whose capacity is so impaired that they would not otherwise get work.
Industrial help for persons with disabilities
Industrial help is a grant towards the cost of obtaining machinery or tools as well as certain other costs associated with running one's own business.
Samhall
Samhall is a limited company, wholly owned by the state. The task of Samhall is to produce goods and services, which are in demand. In this way, where needed meaningful and developing work is provided for persons with disabilities. For this reason Samhall exists on a nationwide basis and operates in a number of different industries.
Samhall provides jobs for persons who have one or more disabilities. These disabilities lead to reduced capacity to work and, in addition, constitute a handicap at work by making it difficult to get or keep a job in the regular labour market.
A disability may be physical, psychological, intellectual or socio-medical. It may have existed since birth or have arisen as a result of occupational injury, accidents, allergies, mental illness or abuse.
Samhall is a part of the Swedish labour market policy measures. The goal is to create full employment and equip those looking for work with skills the labour market requires. The route to getting employment in Samhall is via the employment exchange. The first step is to identify the opportunities on the regular labour market, or other measures in labour market policy measures.
For further information on the Internet:
(External)
http://www.samhall.se/DefaultEng.asp
(External) http://www.ams.se/RDFS.asp?L=241