Vermont Business Magazine Governor Peter Shumlin marked Disability Awareness Day (March 23rd) by further solidifying Vermont’s leadership as a model employer of people with disabilities. The governor signed an Executive Order establishing a Disability Employment Working Group. The working group will be tasked with recommending hiring practices that will increase access to State employment for individuals with disabilities.
Vermont has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation and a higher-than-average workforce participation rate. Those numbers represent good news for the Vermont economy but create a small labor market in the state that can make finding qualified employees a challenge for Vermont employers. More than 82,000 Vermonters have a disability, representing a group of potential employees often overlooked by employers. Currently, fewer than 35 percent of Vermonters with disabilities are employed.
“Supporting economic development in our state has been a central part of my administration, and the Department of Labor and other employment organizations have done great work connecting Vermonters to good paying jobs,” said Governor Shumlin. “Employers want to hire a workforce that reflects Vermont’s diversity, and the State of Vermont is no exception. Establishing the Disability Employment Working Group will help the State of Vermont develop a workforce as diverse as our population.”
The Workgroup will look at opportunities to partner with employment organizations, review current State training programs, and create additional training opportunities in an effort to bring individuals with disabilities into State employment at a rate as close to that of the general population as possible.
“Vermonters with disabilities have a tremendous amount of talent and potential that is not being tapped,” said Hugh Bradshaw who oversees Creative Workforce Solutions, an initiative of the Vermont Agency of Human Services. “Vermont’s labor market is tight, Vermonters with disabilities are looking for opportunities to enter the workforce in a meaningful way, and there are positions in State government that need to be filled. The Disability Employment Working Group will play an important role in putting those three pieces together in a way that will benefit everyone involved.”
The Disability Employment Working Group will operate under the auspices of the Governor’s Workforce Equity and Diversity Council (GWEDC), and will be chaired by the Commissioner of the VT Department of Human Resources. Other members include the Commissioner of the VT Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living and up to three other members to be appointed by the GWEDC. Activities related to the Workgroup’s efforts will be included in the GWEDC annual report.