Inclusion opportunities of Work 4.0? Employment realities of people with disabilities in Germany

Abstract

The normative and political call for an inclusive working world as the UNCRPD explicates is not consistent with the current employment realities of people with disabilities in Germany and in the Nordic countries such as Iceland, Norway or Sweden. Only a fraction is able to find employment on the labour market, while segregated systems are expanding at the same time. We reference the ‘Work 4.0’ discourse with a particular focus on substitutability potentials and automation processes in the course of digitalization. These developments go hand in hand with the pluralization of employment constellations as well as progressive expansion of education and devaluation of qualifications. This article takes a critical look at these processes of change in the working world with regard to their effects on people with disabilities. The central contradictions between political, legal, and normative demands for employment realities to be organized inclusively as well current developments in the area of technology, employment, and knowledge are discussed.