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Social on Business
Business Start-up Provision for
Disadvantaged People |
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3.2 Equality and Diversity in the SEEDA Region
The Regional Economic Strategy includes Equality and Diversity amongst its Five Cross Cutting Themes. Quoting from the Implementation Plan for the RES it states: -
Equality and Diversity – achieve the full economic potential of the region – Global Competitiveness and Smart Growth – by providing individuals and communities with parity of opportunity and by removing barriers, to enable them to achieve their own potential.
There are a number of specific targets within the proposals as indicated below: -
Increased economic participation rate amongst all equality groups, including:
- an increase in participation by disabled people in the region from 60% in 2006 to 75% by 2016
- A comprehensive equality and diversity baseline dataset to support effective targeting of Public Sector intervention with traditionally excluded groups, particularly in the areas of employment, skills, health and financial inclusion
- Cultural assets of the region’s diverse communities developed to achieve innovation in emerging growth markets,
- global business opportunities, and inward investment Tackling the physical access barriers which prevent economic participation and business development by all equality groups;
- especially focusing on public transport access,
- flexible working practices and ICT solutions
- Raising the income levels of communities of geography and of interest in the region through an integrated approach to financial inclusion which covers personal debt, access to finance, debt services and increasing real income levels of the lowest paid
Across the SEEDA region a conservative estimate* of the labour force 16+ who are employed, unemployed or economically inactive represents approximately 5.1M. Of this number almost 900000 (over 17.5% of the labour force) are economically inactive (neither, employed or unemployed) with approximately 160K (over 3% of the labour force) registered as unemployed and a further almost 120K (over 2.3% of the labour force) on Incapacity Benefit.
This means that to achieve the improvements foreseen in the RES for the percentage of disabled people working, even if measured solely by those on IB, the number of disabled people employed would increase by 30K.
Utilising the Employers Forum on Disability “Iceberg Model” which indicates 13% of disabled people would choose to run their own business this would equate to 3900 people. From experience we know that to achieve 3900 sustainable businesses it will be necessary to engage with 3 times that number of people, in round figures 12,000.
* National Audit Office – Department for Work and Pensions Gaining and Retaining a Job The Department for Work and Pensions’ support for disabled people Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General – HC 455 Session 2005 – 2006 – 13th of October 2005 (figures taken at January to March 2004)
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