Belgrade – July 3, 2023 – The “Job Fit” campaign, aimed at promoting the employment of people with disabilities, was presented to the media a week after its teaser phase at an event held on July 3 at Cafe Terasa, in the Rajićeva Shopping Center. At this media breakfast organized by the Youth with Disabilities Forum and the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation, together with partners, media representatives had the opportunity to receive information about the employment portal for people with disabilities, the results of labor market research, as well as to meet the ambassadors of this socially significant campaign.
As part of the presentation of the “Job Fit” campaign, the employment portal for people with disabilities www.zaposljavanje.fmi.rs was introduced at the panel held. This portal, which connects employers with potential job seekers, aims to create equal opportunities for the employment of people with disabilities and is one of the responses to unemployment among people with disabilities, as indicated by the results of labor market research in Serbia, which were also presented at the event. The zaposljavanje.fmi.rs portal, which is the focus of the “Job Fit” campaign, is part of a four-year project for the economic empowerment of people with disabilities, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with a value of $2 million.
“In order to assess the current state of the labor market and determine the needs of employers and opportunities for the employment of people with disabilities, the Youth with Disabilities Forum recently conducted labor market research, with a focus on employers from six cities where the ‘Job Fit: Economic Empowerment of People with Disabilities’ project is being implemented. The research findings provided information about the level of employer awareness of the importance of inclusivity, familiarity with policies and procedures in the field of employing people with disabilities, and their current needs for qualifications and skills of employees. The data obtained are not only informative but will also serve the Youth Forum with Disabilities to direct its activities towards the segments that are of the utmost importance in supporting employers to hire people with disabilities, as well as empowering people with disabilities for the labor market through psychosocial support services, career guidance, and referral to training programs in demand in the market,” said Jovana Krivokuća-Milovanović, Executive Director of the Youth with Disabilities Forum.
The employment portal will contribute to the promotion of a more open and inclusive labor market in Serbia. People with disabilities will have the opportunity to create their profiles, track available positions, and apply for jobs they are interested in, while employers will have a platform to advertise their job vacancies and select candidates that meet the job requirements.
“The campaign was launched last Monday with teaser phase billboards and on social media, which naturally sparked a debate about the messages themselves that were disseminated, and today we exclusively reveal the individuals behind those messages. Our idea is to present the employment website to both employers and individuals with disabilities seeking jobs, inviting them to register. This is just the initial phase of the umbrella campaign that will evolve and have different phases lasting for the next 3 years. Starting from September it will be intensified in 6 cities: Belgrade, Subotica, Novi Sad, Zrenjanin, Valjevo, and Niš, where advocacy campaigns will also be developed with the aim of creating public support for the improvement of policies for the employment of people with disabilities. Together with our media partners, we will work on promoting an encouraging environment that corresponds to inclusive economic development for people with disabilities,” said Sanja Vukelić from the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation.
On this occasion, project partners invited other companies to join the campaign through various forms of involvement and encouraged people with disabilities to share their positive employment experiences.
“Job Fit: Economic Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities” project is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by the Youth with Disabilities Forum. Other project partners are the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation, Caritas of Serbia, Smart Kolektiv and the Center for Independent Living of Persons with Disabilities. More info
