New chief of staff for inclusion: Altendorfer brings a breath of fresh air!

New chief of staff for inclusion: Altendorfer brings a breath of fresh air!

Christian Altendorfer from Leonding is committed to more inclusion in the world of work. He has recently been the new chairman of the "Work with impairment" functional forum in the ÖGB Upper Austria and follows the long -time chairman Gerhard Gabauer, who has retired. Altendorfer not only has personal experience, but also decades of commitment to the topic of inclusion. He has been working at Rosenbauer International AG for over 30 years, where he also works as a disabled confidence. His change to the role of the works council and his commitment to people with impairments are characterized by his own history, which led him through a disease to reorient the professional.

A basic concern of Altendorfer is to raise awareness of inclusion. "The way begins with the choice of a confidant," he emphasizes. His goal is to advance the anchoring of disabled people in companies. The ÖGB state chairman Andreas Stangl recognized Gabauer's long-term commitment to inclusion in the world of work and supported Altendorfer's vision of giving people with disabilities a fair opportunity on the labor market.

challenges on the labor market

The discrepancy between the potential of people with disabilities and their integration into the labor market is not only noticeable in Austria, but also in Germany. According to current data, around 10.4 million people with disabilities are registered in Germany, with only 50 percent being employed or trained. The unemployment rate for people with disabilities is almost 11 percent, while it is only 5.7 percent for people without disabilities. These figures show urgently that employers often hesitate to hire people with disabilities - a given potential in times of shortage of skilled workers, as the employment agency emphasizes.

The UN Convention on the Rights of Disabilities has been considered an inclusion since 2009 as a human right, but prejudices and uncertainties continue to exist. Rehabilitation consultant Marion Winger emphasizes that openness and education on the employer are decisive. A successful example of inclusion at the workplace is Dariean Bahr, which was trained into a new, barrier -free position after a severe health of fate by supporting his employer. Such integration measures are not only possible, but also necessary - in particular, since the law obliges employers to hire people with disabilities or to pay corresponding compensation taxes.

Inclusion is a challenge, but this also contains opportunities. Employers can receive support from the employer service of the employment agency in order to improve the framework conditions for people with disabilities. Altendorfer and many others are committed to the fact that this potential is used every day and that nobody is excluded from a fulfilling professional activity due to impairments.

The coming months will be crucial to further develop and anchor the criteria for an inclusive work environment, not only in Upper Austria, but also beyond.