Dec 3: Marching Sheep (a global leader in strategic Human Resources and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion consulting) has released a study called the Marching Sheep PwD Inclusion Index 2025: Building Disability confident organisations which is based on a comprehensive survey of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) employed at corporate organisations throughout India. The report covers 876 listed organisations across 59 different sectors and offers an extensive, evidence-based view of where India currently is, as well as what actions need to be taken to create an inclusive workplace for people with disabilities. Despite having been the subject of considerable discussion, advocacy and policy reform over the years, the level of participation by PwDs in the corporate world of India remains low. Data compiled in the Index demonstrates that the total number of corporate workers with disabilities remains below one per cent, and 37.9% of the companies surveyed indicated that they do not have any permanently employed disabled individuals.
Some progress has been made however, as there has been an increase of 4.1% from last year in organisations employing at least one disabled person. Nevertheless, the data shows that many organisations are experiencing a gap between intention to hire disabled individuals and actual implementation of those intentions, as 39% of organisations surveyed have reported less disabled representation from last year. There is also a large gap between the numbers of Persons with Disabilities employed in the public sector (public sector undertakings) and those employed in the private sector. Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) employ 72% of all Persons with Disabilities in India, and the private sector has not yet caught up with the rate of growth in employment of disabled workers in PSUs.
While growth rates in hiring for the private sector were higher than PSUs this year (5.27%), when viewed in terms of the absolute number of disabled employees working in the private sector, the private sector continues to fall far short of the benchmarks set by PSUs. In addition to the inclusion index report, many PwDs (73%) believe they do not get paid equally for equal work, and 68% think their workplaces are not accessible enough, while many PwDs are still restricted to entry-level jobs or blue collar jobs, regardless of their qualifications. Invisible disabilities have not been adequately addressed in hiring practices, due to significant barriers that have prevented them from being represented in the workplace.
“People with disabilities (PwD) must have a place in our organisation and society beyond just symbolic reference or a box to be ticked off as optional. Data indicates we are making strides toward inclusivity; however, we need to pick up the pace. The less than one per cent representation of PwD in our workforce, combined with the widening entry trust gap and limited career pathways available to those who qualify, indicates that mere benevolence is insufficient toward building true inclusion for PwD in the workforce.. To be inclusive in our workforce development, we need to shift from thinking of disability through the lens of charity, to viewing disability as an integral part of developing talent and capability within our teams and workforce. Inclusion in the future of work will only occur if we make a conscious decision to include PwD every single day; this will be accomplished through all policies and decisions that affect our organisations.” Sonica Aron, Founder and CEO, Marching Sheep
