Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2020, published 109th ILC session (2021)

Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Convention, 1983 (No. 159) - Norway (Ratification: 1984)

Articles 3 and 7 of the Convention. National policy on vocational rehabilitation and employment of persons with disabilities. In its previous comments, the Committee requested the Government to provide information on the measures taken in cooperation with the social partners to ensure that vocational rehabilitation measures are made available to all categories of persons with disabilities, as well as to describe the impact of the measures taken to promote employment opportunities for persons with disabilities on the open labour market. In this context, the Government refers to information contained in its report on the application of the Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122), according to which, in 2018, an average of over 70,100 persons per month participated in active labour market measures, of which 53,750 were persons with disabilities. The Government indicates that scientific evaluations of the different measures over the years concluded that they have a positive impact on employment. It adds that the labour market situation of persons receiving services or benefits from the Labour and Welfare Administration is monitored six months after services or benefits cease. The Committee notes that, according to the figures for 2018, six months after cessation of services or benefits, 66 per cent of unemployed persons had secured employment, compared to 42 per cent of persons with disabilities. The Government indicates that these figures have remained relatively stable for many years. The Committee notes that, in 2018, the overall employment rate of persons with disabilities between the ages of 15 and 66 was 43.9 per cent, compared to 74 per cent for the general population. The Committee notes that, in its initial report to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD/C/NOR/1, 7 December 2015, paragraphs 251–254 and 259–260), the Government refers to a number of measures taken to promote employment for persons with disabilities, including: the Jobs Strategy for Persons with Disabilities, adopted in 2012, which focuses on persons with disabilities under the age of 30; the Follow-up Plan for Work and Mental Health 2013-2016, which aims to assist persons with mental health disorders to complete an education and participate in working life; and the Inclusive Working Life Agreement (IW) 2014–2018, a tripartite agreement aimed, inter alia, at increasing the employment of persons with disabilities. With respect to vocational rehabilitation, the Committee notes the absence of information in the Government's report with regard to measures taken to ensure that vocational rehabilitation measures are made available to all persons with disabilities. The Committee requests that the Government provide detailed updated information including statistical data disaggregated by sex and age, regarding the nature and impact of active labour market measures taken to promote employment opportunities for persons with disabilities on the open labour market, including information with regard to the status and impact of the Job Strategy for Persons with Disabilities, the Follow-up Plan for Work and Mental Health and the Inclusive Working Life Agreement. In addition, the Committee reiterates its request that the Government provide information concerning the measures taken in consultation with the social partners and the representative organizations of and for persons with disabilities to ensure that vocational rehabilitation measures are made available to all categories of persons with disabilities.

COVID-19 pandemic. In light of the profound socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government is invited to provide updated information on the impact of the crisis on the application of the Convention in relation to the employment of persons with disabilities.