Employment of Disabled People in Russia in the Context of the Digital Economy

Abstract

This paper analyses indicators which describe the employment of disabled people in Russia and the position of this group in the Russian labour market. Special attention is given to disabled workers skills in the sphere of information and communication technologies. The analysis is based on data from the Rosstat population surveys and administrative data. The analysis shows that the information on the disabled people employment is limited due to an underrepresentation of the disabled in the data from population surveys and the methodological approaches used in administrative data. Available statistics demonstrate that the disabled are in a weak position in the Russian labour market: low employment rates, high unemployment rates, widespread employment in the informal sector, and the concentration of employment in low-skilled occupations. Furthermore, disabled people of working age in Russia possess markedly weaker digital skills than non-disabled, which further worsens their position in the labour market.