The “inclusive work” funding guideline issued by the Ministry of Social Affairs on Monday is intended to make this possible. A total of 54 million euros will be made available by 2026 for projects that enable people with high or very high support needs to enter the job market. A third of the sum will be contributed by the states.
Fair remuneration and pension entitlement
According to a press release from the ministry, around 28,000 people with disabilities are currently employed in day-care facilities, so-called workshops, in Austria. Depending on the federal state, they receive between 35 and 100 euros pocket money per month for their work and are insured once morest accidents. While the federal government is responsible for the professional participation of people with disabilities, responsibility for day-care facilities and their remuneration lies with the states.
The new directive is intended to ensure that those affected receive fair remuneration for their work, are protected under social security law and are entitled to pensions. The main eligibility criteria are genuine employment contracts, full insurance and a living wage.
Inclusive, integrative, innovative
New or existing projects in all nine federal states are eligible for funding. These include inclusive work models, where people with disabilities work in companies where the workplace is individually adapted to them. Also included are integrative work models, where people with disabilities are still cared for in institutions or work as part of a non-profit temporary employment agency. The same applies to innovative projects in existing structures, provided that the project is clearly separated organizationally and/or spatially from the other areas of the institution.
The directive is the next important step to enable people with disabilities to participate in the primary labor market, said Social Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) in the press release. The extensive inclusion of people with disabilities was particularly important in the development of the directive.
Criticism of time limits and underfunding
The SPÖ and Neos reacted positively, but with reservations. SP social spokesman Josef Muchitsch spoke of a “beginning”. He criticised both the 2026 deadline and the underfunding. On behalf of the Neos, representative Fiona Fiedler criticised the fact that there are still completely fragmented structures in the area of inclusion. Financing and coordination from a single source would be better. Patrick Berger, head of the Opportunities and Benefits Office at the ÖGB, saw this as a long overdue step. For him, the full implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is still pending.
