Examination of the experience of work integration social enterprises in Latvia

Abstract

In Latvia, the employment of persons with disability is two times lower than the European Union average, which indicates a marked social and income inequality in the country, as well as the dependence of such persons on national and local government support. One of the solutions for increasing the employment of people with disability is social entrepreneurship. In Latvia, 28% of a total of 189 social enterprises are work integration social enterprises, which mostly employ persons with disability. The research aims to examine the experience of work integration social enterprises in Latvia. To achieve the aim, the research performed a case study of three work integration social enterprises. It was found that the main goal of all the enterprises was to integrate people with disability into the labour market through their training and skills development. The main challenges of employing the target group were their insufficient level of education and poor professional skills, as well as the need to adapt the working environment and equipment. Depending on the degree and kind of disability, the workloads for such persons are also adapted. National, local government and other available support instruments for social enterprises are used to expand their operation, the most important of which are the grants administered by the Ministry of Welfare and the finance institution Altum, as well as a tax credit – a lower employer mandatory state social insurance contribution rate if employing people with disability