- The event was also attended by the Deputy Mayor of Madrid, Begoña Villacís, and the manager of the Employment Agency, Belén García.
- It was organized by Madrid Foro Empresarial with the collaboration of the Madrid City Council, Deusto Business School and Ibercaja.
Madrid | June 3, 2021
The deputy mayor of Madrid, Begoña Villacís, and the president of Madrid Foro Empresarial, Hilario Alfaro, inaugurated this Wednesday the I Foro Empléate Madrid at the headquarters of Deusto Business School. An event in which a total of eight experts, including the CEO of Envera, reflected on the employment opportunities generated by the new scenarios in which companies have been forced to move, such as digitalization, education, sustainability and diversity.
Deputy Mayor Villacís assured that "employment is the first social policy for the Madrid City Council. Our objectives are to promote the training of workers, full labor inclusion and to give opportunities to those who have the hardest time".
As a culmination of the various round tables that took place during the day, Enrique Grande, CEO of Envera and head of the Competitive Social Responsibility Table of Madrid Foro Empresarial, spoke about the employment of people with intellectual disabilities as a strategic element for companies that can find in these professionals a solution to the loss of talent and the high turnover that some organizations suffer.
Workers with disabilities bring quality, a sense of belonging among other employees and improve the customer experience through companies' CSR plans, although the biggest challenge for human resources departments is knowing how to see the capabilities of people with disabilities and not what they cannot do, said Grande.
The keys to this job creation are, for the director of Envera, promote quality training and focused on the needs of each person, promote digital skills and, above all, that companies and public administration are committed to equal opportunities and social justice. And is that "a person with intellectual disabilities who works becomes a taxpayer, therefore it is positive for the whole society and therefore we speak of social justice and never charity".
Among the data provided in this area, it is worth mentioning that, according to CERMI, the employment of people with disabilities has been reduced by 30% as a result of the pandemic, not to mention the salary differences with non-disabled workers, which is close to 4,000 euros less per year. The director of Envera also quoted the INE to point out that the working population in Spain has decreased in recent years while the percentage of people with disabilities continues to grow.
The I Empléate Madrid Forum was closed by the managing director of the Madrid City Council's Employment Agency, Belén García, who referred to diversity management as one of the keys to promoting employment: "Another challenge is that senior talent has to count for companies. Dual training is also needed to reach these companies. From the City Council we are working in this direction".
