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Mixed picture for the disabled in the workplace

Though disabled people in Switzerland are quite well integrated in the labour market, they are also slightly more likely to be the victims of discrimination in the workplace.

Figures released on Thursday by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) to coincide with the International Day of Disabled Persons show a mixed picture in Switzerland.

Some 69% of disabled people in Switzerland worked in some form or other in 2018, the year to which the statistics refer. This is 13 percentage points less than for non-disabled, the FSO writes.

Four out of 10 disabled who work do so part-time, compared to less than three out of 10 for the general population.

The statistics, which were based on surveys carried out the previous year, also suggest disabled people are slightly more prone to be victims of discrimination in the workplace: 26% reported problems, which were often due to their physical or mental condition.

By contrast, 18% of non-disabled reported being victim to some form of discrimination, which the FSO said can be related to age, sex, origin, or disability. This can involve violence, threats, bullying, intimidation, or sexual harassment.

In 2017, over 4% of the Swiss population older than 15 were medically classified as having a disability, whether involving hearing, sight, movement or memory problems. According to 2019 statistics, 6% of the population receive disability welfare or assistance.

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