Inditex to double the number of employees with disabilities within two years

Inditex to significantly increase the number of employees with disabilities worldwide within two years. The Group’s commitment to boosting the inclusion of people with differing abilities across its stores, logistics platforms, warehouses and offices worldwide will imply hiring over 1,500 professionals, doubling the number of employees with some form of disability.

Inditex aims to consistently outperform the disabled employee thresholds required in the various jurisdictions in which it operates. Moreover, in markets where there are no specific requirements, the Group’s target is to have at least 2% of its local headcounts be of differing abilities. 

Inditex’s CEO, Óscar García Maceiras, announced this new commitment this morning at a meeting with the Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Gilbert F. Houngbo, after the company endorsed the ILO Global Business and Disability Network, a unique worldwide network created to promote disability inclusion in the workplace. 

García Maceiras underlined that “disability inclusion in the workplace is a core component of our commitment to people. Diversity, fairness and inclusion are values we all embrace, values we pursue day-to-day, in order to have an impact within Inditex as well as all around us: our pledge is to design opportunities for everyone.”

“Companies increasingly recognise that their Diversity, Equity & Inclusion efforts must address the inclusion of persons with disabilities to lead to positive and sustainable business changes. The ILO Global Business and Disability Network provides a unique space for enterprises to learn from and support each other on their respective disability inclusion journey,” said the ILO’s Director-General.

INCLUSIVE WORKPLACES

Inditex is working with the ILO on its effort to create inclusive workplaces where people with disabilities have the equal opportunities to jobs and career development by helping companies recognise the disabled community’s economic and social value, driving disability inclusion in the workplace, fostering workplace accessibility and encouraging inclusion in every aspect of working life.

That collaboration marks another step forward in Inditex’s disability inclusion strategy, which is articulated around four priority areas: championing inclusive recruiting and career development; fostering accessible workplaces conducive to ensuring equal opportunities; facilitating an inclusive shopping experience; and raising team awareness about disability.

To make progress on that strategy, the Group strives to build and maintain stable and long-lasting relations with local entities in its various business markets, notable among which Plena Inclusión, a confederation that represents 950 associations in Spain. That organisation is working with Inditex to provide opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental impairments to find meaningful work and living standards by following the employment-with-support methodology as the best way of integrating people with disabilities into the workplace.