The European Commission is developing a new initiative called the Quality Jobs Roadmap, which aims to improve the quality of work across Europe. EASPD has submitted a position paper to make sure the voices of disability support services are heard in this process.

Read EASPD’s full position paper

Below, we explain why it’s important and what we called for.  

What is the Quality Jobs Roadmap?  

It is essentially the EU’s plan to ensure that Europe’s transition to a greener and more digital economy also takes care of fair, secure, and high-quality jobs. The European Commission’s initiative is expected in late 2025 and will focus on improving working conditions, promoting health and safety at work, supporting training and upskilling, and strengthening collective bargaining on a cross-sectoral basis.  

It will also introduce a framework to help manage restructuring processes more fairly and proactively, especially in industries undergoing major changes. And while it won’t have legal force, it will have a real impact by guiding investments, influencing national policies and future EU legislation.  

Why is it important for EASPD’s members? 

The Quality Jobs Roadmap is particularly relevant for persons with disabilities, informal carers, and workers in the disability support sector. Here is why: 

• People with disabilities are still much less likely to be hired. Their employment rate is 24% lower than that of people without disabilities, with over 20 million people with disabilities of working age being unemployed. More than half of EASPD’s members provide employment-related services or directly employ people with disabilities. They face various challenges: inadequate employment services, inaccessible vocational education and training (VET), absence of reasonable accommodations, negative misconceptions around disability, to name a few. 

• Some 8 million new jobs in care and support will be needed in the next decade, but this sector is already struggling with staff shortages and sometimes precarious working conditions. Low wages and restructuring from institutional to community-based, person-centred care are only some of the difficulties they face. 

• Informal carers (mostly women) struggle to balance unpaid care responsibilities with work, often leading to long-term exclusion from the labour market. They face insufficient care options, lack of flexible jobs and lacking support to reintegrate into the labour market, among others. 

All this, inevitably, affects the quality and continuity of care for those who need it most.  

What EASPD is calling for, among others: 

1. Better and more meaningful employment for persons with disabilities, including support for transitions from sheltered to open employment (while recognising its role), strong legal protections, skills development, and accessible workplaces. 

2. Improved job quality in social services. This includes fair wages, career growth opportunities, and recognition of the essential roles of job coaches and social care and support professionals, while encouraging social dialogue and participation of interested groups in the discussion. 

3. Access to quality social and care services as a key enabler for participation in the labour market, especially for informal carers. 

4. More effective use of the existing EU tools. These include the Disability Employment Package – which clarifies hiring practices, reasonable accommodation, retention of people with disabilities at work, and vocational rehabilitation – and procurement and State aid, which have the potential to make inclusive employment practices more widespread. 

5. Improved data collection on disability employment to ensure future policies reflect real needs and results, while also helping the sector use AI and digital tools to boost service quality and efficiency. 

For any questions or to get in touch regarding EASPD’s work on the Quality Jobs Roadmap, please contact Lyzaveta Drannikova, Policy and Project Officer: lyzaveta.drannikova@easpd.eu.