Persons With Disabilities Represent Less Than 1% Of Corporate Workforce: Report

There is less than 1% representation of persons with disabilities at organisations across the country even as there has been a discussion, advocacy and policy reform over the years, a report said on Thursday.

The total number of corporate workers with disabilities remains below 1%, and 37.9% of the companies surveyed indicated that they do not have any permanently employed disabled individuals, according to Marching Sheep PwD Inclusion Index 2025: Building Disability confident organisations report.

The Marching Sheep PwD Inclusion Index 2025: Building Disability confident organisations report is based on inputs from 876 listed organisations across 59 sectors.

The report further revealed that some progress has been made since last year with an increase of 4.1% in organisations employing at least one disabled person.

Nevertheless, the data showed that many organisations are experiencing a gap between intention to hire disabled individuals and actual implementation of those intentions, as 39% of companies surveyed have reported less disabled representation from last year.

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, it added.

Many PwDs are still restricted to entry-level jobs or blue-collar jobs, regardless of their qualifications, said the report.

"The data indicates we are making strides toward inclusivity. However, we need to pick up pace. 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," Marching Sheep Founder and CEO Sonica Aron said.