Implementing the Labor Potential of People with Disabilities in China: New Opportunities in the Era of Digitalization

Abstract

The article deals with the problems of the full implementation of the labor potential of people with disabilities in the context of population aging in China and a reduction in its working age population. The object of the study is people with disabilities, the subject of study is the forms and methods of employment of people with disabilities, and the support of their employment. Along with the analysis of traditional forms of employment of people with disabilities that have developed in China, special attention is paid to new forms of their involvement in work using digital technologies, which have received significant development in China in recent years. The scope of application of digital technologies in the employment of people with disabilities is determined. It was revealed that the main areas of application of digital technologies, platform and virtual employment in China are e-commerce and e-trade. The mechanisms of financial support for the disabled and entrepreneurs who provide them with jobs are considered. It is noted that digital technologies contribute to the expansion of employment of people with disabilities, increase their income and reduce poverty. Based on the calculations of the rate of renewal of jobs for the disabled, it is found that the area of their introduction is insufficient to meet the needs of people with disabilities in decent work. The conclusion is substantiated that the system of vocational training and retraining of personnel from among the disabled requires improvement and acceleration of the terms for updating knowledge and competencies, taking into account the pace of introduction of new technologies. The positive experience of China in the employment of people with disabilities using digital technologies can be used by other countries, and it is advisable to expand the scope of its implementation in sectors of the real economy. A promising area of research on this issue is the study of regional features of the formation and use of the labor potential of people with disabilities in the provinces of China. For Russia, this aspect of the study is especially important.