Targeted placement for people with disabilities in Italy: a perspective from Lombardian companies

• Date: 11 January 2024
• Pages: 1-17
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-07-2023-0228
• Published date: 11 January 2024
• Author: Matteo Moscatelli,Nicoletta Pavesi,Chiara Ferrari

Targeted placement for people with

disabilities in Italy: a perspective

from Lombardian companies

Matteo Moscatelli, Nicoletta Pavesi and Chiara Ferrari

Department of Sociology, Universit

a Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy

Abstract

Purpose –The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006) recognizes the

right of disabled people to access work.Against this legislative backdrop, thisstudy explores the strengths and

weaknesses of the Italian system of targeted placement for disabled people, based on Law 68/1999, which

delegates to regional authorities the management of the labor market. The examination centers on the

perspective of companies, the primary stakeholders in the inclusion of persons with disabilities within

organizational structures.

Design/methodology/approach –The article discusses the results of focus groups conducted with 28

managers of large, medium and small enterprises in Lombardy (Italy). Qualitative analysis was employed, and

the results were structured using a simplified strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT)

analysis, incorporating practical recommendations.

Findings –The analysis leads to practical suggestions to improve the entire targeted placement process at the

regional level, from selection and accompaniment to evaluation, such as improving the networking of local

stakeholderswho deal with theinclusion of disabled people, homogeneity of the procedures in different regions,

making all employees aware of diversity management, etc. The territorial network and the welfare

environment are particularly important in achieving a successful targeted placement and to promote an

inclusive corporate culture.

Research limitations/implications –This study is not representative of Italy as a whole, as it remains a

qualitative investigation focused on a single region.

Originality/value –This contribution accomplishes an in-depth study of the law of labor inclusion of people

with disabilities observed from the point of view of companies, which are still usually reluctant to integrate

people with disabilities into their organizations or encounter difficulties in doing so.

Keywords Disabilities, Disabled workers, Organizational culture, Companies, Targeted employment,

Diversity management

Paper type Research paper

Introduction: targeted placement in Italy and the research purpose

Article 27 of the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

(2006) states that disabled people must have “the opportunity to gain a living by work freely

chosen or accepted in a labour market and work environment that is open, inclusive and

accessible to persons with disabilities”. Many research studies highlight that, for people with

disabilities, employment is very important. For example, being employed reduces the risk of

isolation and poverty (Schur, 2002), supports health and well-being (Vornholt et al., 2018) and

roles at work are still important today to build social identity (Ferrucci, 2014). In addition,

work is also a source of meaning in people’s lives (Hasselkus and Rosa, 1997); as Saunders

and Nedelec (2014) write, “As paid work is the activity that people spend the most amount of

their time doing, it is an important provider of meaning”(p. 101). However, in terms of

Targeted

placement for

people with

disabilities

1

© Matteo Moscatelli, Nicoletta Pavesi and Chiara Ferrari. Published by Emerald Publishing Limited.

This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may

reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-

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The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:

https://www.emerald.com/insight/2040-7149.htm

Received 18 July 2023

Revised 27 September 2023

20 November 2023

Accepted 14 December 2023

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

An International Journal

Vol. 43 No. 9, 2024

pp. 1-17

Emerald Publishing Limited

2040-7149

DOI 10.1108/EDI-07-2023-0228

employment, persons with disabilities are an underemployed group of the workforce (Colella

and Bruy

ere, 2011). In Italy in 2019, in the age group between 15 and 64, 32.2% of the disabled

were employed, suffering from serious limitations, compared to 59.8% of non-disabled

persons (Corte dei Conti, 2022).

States, therefore, must create the conditions for the labor market to integrate disabled

people.

The European Union’s (EU’s) Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021–

2030 asserts that participation in employment is the best way to ensure social inclusion. To

ensure this participation, the strategy identifies employment as one of the five policy

priorities for future actions. It establishes three specific goals: (1) increasing the employment

rate of persons with disabilities and reducing the employment gap between disabled and non-

disabled people; (2) improving the capacity of employment services to support persons with

disabilities and create networks with other organizations, including associations of the

disabled and (3) facilitating self-employment and entrepreneurship through legal and

financial support, including EU funds.

In Italy, the employment of persons with disabilities falls under Law 68 of March 12,

1999 (and its subsequent integrations, e.g. the 2015 Jobs Act [1]). This law redesigned the

system of quotas (reserving at least 7% of their workforce for disabled workers) and

sheltered employment and introduced new mechanisms of job inclusion, such as

agreements between companies and social cooperatives, as well as defining hiring

incentives, sanctions and prohibiting discrimination. The law also emphasizes the

importance of education and vocational training for individuals with disabilities and

supports the building of local networks between public institutions, companies and third-

sector organizations (e.g. social cooperatives, voluntary associations and user-led

organizations) in order to achieve better social inclusion [2]. Article 14 enables the

fulfillment of this obligation outside the conventional framework of direct employment.

Simultaneously, it facilitates job opportunities for a particularly vulnerable segment of

the disabled population who would otherwise have limited prospects for gainful

employment:

In order to promote the employment of disadvantaged and disabled workers, the services referred to

in Article 6(1) of Law No 68/1999 (...) shall draw up with the most representative national trade

unions of employers and employees and with the associations representing, assisting and protecting

cooperatives (...) and with the consortia, framework conventions on a territorial basis, which must

be validated by the regions (...),concerning the assignment of work orders to the social cooperatives

themselves by member or affiliated enterprises. (art. 14 Law 68 of March 12, 1999)

Even though Law 68/1999 is national in scope, its implementation depends almost

exclusively on regional and provincial administrations and on their ability to effectively

coordinate the various actors involved in this process –companies, territorial disabled

placement services, agencies, social cooperatives, trade unions and disabled people’s

associations –which can, in fact, operate in a more or less virtuous way in terms of the

suitability of a working environment, overcoming complex bureaucratic processes

compromised by strictly medical assessments of impairment (Corbisiero, 2014). This fact

leads to problems and disparities at the local level. In some regions, also taking into account

non-supportive environmental and socio-welfare factors, the employment services for

persons with disabilities are inefficient (Agovino and Rapposelli, 2013;2016); in other regions,

competent networks are present and innovative procedures are implemented. This is the case

in Lombardy, where a regional law offers additional tools and resources to improve the

employment of disabled people. The region also witnesses robust cooperation among

different actors, which allows the sharing of good practices that can enhance the national law,

even if this model risks remaining excessively fragmented at the territorial level and not

EDI

43,9

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