Chile's Intellectual Disability Employment Law Falls Short of Goals

Chile's 2018 Labor Inclusion Law, which mandates that public organizations and companies with over 100 employees allocate at least 1% of positions to people with disabilities, has shown limited impact eight years later. Recent data from the Ministry of Social Development and Family indicates that only a quarter of private companies and public institutions are meeting this quota. Furthermore, a report from the Directorate of Labor reveals that only 35% of the 124,000 jobs created under the law have been sustained. The situation is particularly dire for individuals with intellectual disabilities, with the ENDIDE 2022 survey estimating that nearly 80% of adults remain unemployed, representing over 173,000 individuals whose right to work is unfulfilled. Many organizations still view inclusion as a legal obligation rather than an organizational culture. To address these shortcomings, more ambitious policies are needed, including strengthened enforcement of the law, incentives for hiring, flexible use of regulatory resources, and the promotion of protected employment models, similar to Spain's approach of accrediting companies that predominantly hire individuals with intellectual disabilities. True inclusion should extend beyond quota fulfillment to dismantling prejudice, creating opportunities, and enabling autonomous life projects for thousands of people.