Austria is committed to equal opportunities under the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. To further realize this commitment, the government wants to change the employment system for people with disabilities step by step. Instead of simply receiving pocket money for their work in ‘workshops’, supplemented with other government benefits, they should be transferred to employment relationships with wages subject to social security contributions.
There are currently approximately 28,000 people with disabilities working in childcare and employment structures (“workplaces”) in the federal states. The offer varies from basic support for people with a great need for support to offers for professional qualifications and activities that are comparable to the labor market. In return, they receive pocket money, which amounts to between 35 and 100 euros per month depending on the state, and they are insured against accidents.
A study commissioned by the Ministry of Social Affairs in 2021 looked at the possible effects of such a change. Researchers from the University of Economics and Business have compared the current situation with an alternative system in which a gross salary of 1,180 euros (14 times a year) replaces pocket money.
The winners and losers of the new model
Above this level, social assistance benefits are often no longer available and benefits such as a lifelong orphan’s pension or child benefit no longer apply, and the disability pension would be reduced to a partial pension. At the same time, however, people acquire insurance periods and are therefore entitled to an old-age pension.
The result: most ‘players’ in the system leave the system positive or neutral, only the countries have big losses. Assuming an average person with a disability, social insurance would leave with a positive balance of approximately 5,800 euros per year. The federal government (plus 76 euros/year) and supporting institutions (plus 44 euros/year) would have approximately the same balance, the respective federal state with a negative balance of approximately 11,100 euros per year. The disabled would also clearly be on the winning side with around 5,200 euros per year.
Rauch: “Necessary in terms of integration policy”
Assuming that the states pay the wages, they would likely make demands for compensation as part of the financial equalization, study author Christian Grünhaus noted on Tuesday at a press conference in the presence of Social Affairs Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) and Labor Minister Martin Kocher . (ÖVP). Rauch was committed to change: “If we change the system, it is necessary in terms of integration policy, it makes economic sense and it is positive for the labor market.”
Pilot projects are now following
Both the Minister of Social Affairs and his colleague from the Ministry of Labor spoke in favor of a gradual implementation. Discussions should now follow with the federal states to explore where and which pilot projects can be carried out.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
