In the first eight months of 2022, 2,178 persons with disabilities found employment, which is 11.5% more than in the same period of 2021.
Lončar said that measures of active employment policy in 2021 covered 1,560 persons with disabilities, 53.1% more than in 2020.
"In addition to continually making effort to improve the relevant legislation, we have been integrating persons with disabilities in the labour market also by implementing active employment policy measures, for which the government sets aside one billion kuna (€133 million) annually," said Labour and Pension System Minister Marin Piletić.
Owing to those measures, every year around 1,400 persons with disabilities are included in the labour market.
"I believe that next year there will be even more competitors, and in the meantime our task is to find the best solutions to additionally strengthen the status of persons with disabilities in society," the minister said at a ceremony at which awards for the best employers for persons with disabilities in 2021 were presented.
The employers in question are those who are leaders in terms of employment of persons with disabilities and who offer equal opportunities for employment, education, promotion and security of all employees. Also, those employers' business management models are socially responsible.
In the micro-employer category the award went to Asemo d.o.o. from Vrbovec, and in the small employer category, Data Link d.o.o. from Bjelovar was named the best employer for persons with disabilities. In the category of medium-sized employers, the award went to Očna Optika Oculus from Osijek.
In the category of large employers, the Rijeka-based "3. Maj" shipyard was named the best employer for persons with disabilities, and in the public sector employer category, the award went to Split Parking d.o.o. The award in the category of good business practices went to Bomark Pak d.o.o. from Ludbreg.
Those companies were chosen as the best employers for persons with disabilities by the HZZ, the Croatian Employers Association, the Institute for Labour Market Development, the Moj Posao job search portal, and the SOIH national federation of associations of persons with disabilities.