The State Duma has approved a new law aimed at enhancing employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

The Verkhovna Rada has adopted in the second reading and as a whole the draft law No. 5344-d, which introduces new mechanisms for the employment of people with disabilities. This was announced by the head of the Committee on Finance, Taxation, and Customs Policy, Danilo Hetmantsev.

Hetmantsev emphasized that this law "ultimately dismantles the system that enriches certain families through the 'business of protecting the disabled'."

The new law expands employment opportunities for people with disabilities not only in private companies but also in government bodies and local self-government authorities.

The law also provides for compensation to employers for the costs of creating "smart" workplaces for people with disabilities. Additionally, it proposes ensuring social support for such employees at their workplace, including assistance from personal assistants, sign language interpretation, and other services.

However, the law gives employers a choice: either to hire people with disabilities and equip them with workplaces (if necessary), or to pay a targeted contribution to the Fund for Social Protection of Persons with Disabilities, which is aimed at supporting the employment of such individuals.

The contribution is mandatory for employers who have eight or more employees but do not meet the employment quota for people with disabilities. The quotas are as follows:

• one workplace for enterprises with 8-25 employees;
• 4% of the average number of employees for enterprises with more than 25 employees;
• 2% for medical, rehabilitation institutions, and social services.

The amount of the contribution is calculated using the formula: 40% of the average monthly salary × three months × (quota of workplaces – actually employed).

The draft law has faced criticism from the All-Ukrainian Organization "National Assembly of People with Disabilities of Ukraine" and the Ukrainian Society of the Blind. In their statement, they noted that out of more than nine hundred proposed amendments, only 11 were taken into account.

Furthermore, human rights activist Valeriy Sushkevych stated that the law exempts many private sector employers from the obligation to employ people with disabilities. It also eliminates financial support for many existing enterprises that collaborate with public organizations of people with disabilities, halting funding for their training and rehabilitation, as well as for social, vocational, and physical rehabilitation.