Inclusive labour market: challenges and solutions from employers' perspective

This article is devoted to the employment problem of socially vulnerable groups, but the issue is disclosed from employers' point of view. As it is known, the labour market is represented by two sides: demand for the labour force and labour supply. In the inclusive labour market, labour supply is represented by persons from social categories of the population. In Kazakhstan, they include persons with disabilities, orphans, former convicts, alcohol and drug addicts, mothers with many children, and women raising children alone, who, due to various life situations, do not have the opportunity to work full-time and/or without special conditions of employment. These categories of people are vulnerable and need support in finding work and jobs. The other side of an inclusive labour market is employers willing to hire social group representatives. At the same time, there is a considerable gap between these two sides of the labour market. While the first side does not have the opportunity (does not know how) to find a decent job, employers willing to offer employment are understaffed and elementary do not know the peculiarities of working with persons with disabilities. Others are afraid of the difficulties in adapting workplaces to the needs of people with disabilities. In addition, there is stereotypical thinking, due to which many people believe that employees with disabilities or mothers with small children will work worse than other employees. Nevertheless, there is a trend of increasing social awareness in Kazakhstan, with employers seeking to contribute to developing a social society. In this research article, the authors confirm some of the hypotheses based on expert semi-structured interviews, while others are rejected. The research is conducted within the framework of the state order for scientific research in social sciences from the Committee of Science under the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In this study, we will see the difference between working with people with mental disabilities and physical disabilities and how the process of adapting workplaces for employees with these or those disabilities differs. In addition, we will show the differences between the employment of persons with disabilities and other social groups and how employers think these or those groups adapt to the work process.