Starting from 2026, new employment conditions for people with disabilities will come into force in Ukraine

Starting in 2026, important changes in the approach to the employment of people with disabilities are planned in Ukraine. According to new guidelines from the Ministry of Social Policy, which are quoted by Glavcom, more opportunities for the integration of people with disabilities into the labor market will be opened.

Among the key changes for people with disabilities and employers are the following:

• establishment of a 4% quota for the employment of people with disabilities in both the private and public sectors;
• a new approach to fulfilling the quota through incentives rather than penalties, with the possibility of compensating partial employment or creating a special workplace;
• lifting restrictions on the types of work, which opens up opportunities to work in areas that do not harm the health of people with disabilities;
• introduction of social support during employment for both people with disabilities and employers.

“Ukraine currently has only 16% of people with disabilities who are employed, while in EU countries this figure is significantly higher, from 50 to 70%. We aim to change this situation. Our goal is to provide quality and decent employment for people with disabilities, not just to formally meet quotas. They should have access to life and work, and be active members of the economy,” said Deputy Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine Volodymyr Vasylenko.

It was previously reported that a new system for assessing the functioning of people with disabilities has been implemented in Ukraine. Now, citizens who have disabilities and have undergone verification prior to the introduction of the new system will be required to undergo re-examination in case of justified reasons for missing verification.