France: employment and disability barometer launched to show firms’ commitment to inclusivity

The French government launched a new tool on 10 March that allows businesses in the private and public sectors to exhibit measures they are taking to foster the integration of people with disabilities into the labour market, as well as to assess themselves and gauge their progress in this area each year. Unlike the gender equality index (see article n°12401), the new employment and disability barometer is neither a scoring tool nor a regulatory requirement; companies are free to decide whether to use it. Nor is the tool to be used for labelling purposes. Rather this national-level tool, which was designed in partnership with several employer networks, is intended to showcase companies’ level of commitment and maturity with regard to inclusion. As such, it offers people with disabilities seeking employment the option of focusing their search on employers with a positive record in the area. For companies, meanwhile, the tool is a means of attracting talent. The barometer takes into account six criteria: the proportion of those employed who are disabled, staff awareness and the implementation of a structured disability policy, inclusive recruitment, job retention for disabled employees, inclusive purchasing and digital accessibility.