The Federal Council has decided to bring more people with disabilities into work. "Inclusion in the labour market is not only a question of social participation and justice, but simply also in times of labour and skilled labour shortages of economic reason," said Labour Minister Hubertus Heil at the meeting of the state chamber on Friday. "It's not about punishing employers. No company will be overwhelmed with this compensatory levy." It is an incentive to give severely disabled people a recruitment perspective and to use the potential for securing skilled workers.
According to the law, employers will have to pay a higher compensatory levy in the future if they do not employ a severely disabled person despite their obligation to employ them. As before, special arrangements are provided for smaller employers.
Employers have already had to employ severely disabled people in at least 5 percent of their jobs. This regulation applies to employers with at least 20 jobs. For each compulsory job not occupied by a severely disabled person, a compensatory levy is due.