The Institute for Management and Innovation (IMI) at the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society has published the study "Inclusive work in SMEs in Rhineland-Palatinate - status, experiences, challenges, needs". The study provides an up-to-date empirical knowledge base on how SMEs currently organize the professional participation of people with severe disabilities, where the hurdles are and what the main areas of action are for companies, public and non-profit actors.
Despite legal requirements such as the employment quota and a wide range of support instruments, the employment of people with severe disabilities and people with equivalent status remains a task for society as a whole. However, current data on company practice is scarce, especially for SMEs. The study, which focuses on Rhineland-Palatinate, helps to close this gap and derives concrete action points from the results.
The research work was made possible by funding from the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Transformation and Digitalization.
The study is based on a multi-stage approach: a focused literature review was supplemented by a series of qualitative interviews with inclusion experts from various fields. Building on this, a standardized online survey was conducted among specialists and managers from 128 medium-sized companies from a broad mix of sectors in Rhineland-Palatinate (survey period April to July 2025). The respondents were primarily from HR management and management.
The diverse results provide a detailed overview of the following topics, among others (exemplary excerpts)
What inclusion goals and reasons for inclusion do SMEs have?
Inclusion is not yet a core strategic issue in many companies: around a third of the companies in the sample do not pursue any specific inclusion goals.
What are their experiences?
Obstacles are often a low priority of the topic, a lack of strategies and a lack of time and resources. However, companies with experience of inclusion also report positive effects such as a better working atmosphere, new perspectives and more creativity.
How do companies obtain the necessary information on inclusion issues?
Inclusion in SMEs is often hampered by a lack of information. A quarter of the companies in the sample do not use any specific sources of information on inclusion issues - in the case of SMEs, this figure is as high as a third.
What knowledge do companies have of advisory services and funding and which do they use?
Many advisory and funding instruments are not widely known or are only used by a minority of companies. For example, around 60% are aware of the integration subsidy and 25% have used it to date.
What inclusion infrastructure do the companies have in place and what measures do they use to recruit people with severe disabilities as new employees and skilled workers?
Over a third of the companies surveyed do not have any specific measures in place to recruit people with severe disabilities as employees and skilled workers.Of the measures surveyed, targeted cooperation with employment agencies or specialist integration services, barrier-free application procedures and cooperation with workshops were mentioned most frequently - but only by around a quarter of respondents in each case.
How do companies measure, manage and document inclusion and inclusion success?
In practice, many companies lack suitable instruments: Over half of the companies surveyed rely almost exclusively on the statutory employment rate - although this only provides a limited picture of actual inclusion success.
How do organizational learning and knowledge transfer work?
To date, SMEs have only made limited use of their own and other experience in inclusion. Around 60% are not active in any network that also covers inclusion topics. Likewise, around 60% of companies do not currently offer any training or awareness-raising measures for managers and employees.
What areas of improvement do companies see to facilitate inclusion in the workplace and what specifically would they like to see?
The top answers include better information on support programs and financial subsidies, more intensive cooperation with public bodies and more offers to inform managers and employees.
Based on the results, five key areas for action were identified and practical design options were named for each of these areas - as a basis for the targeted further development of inclusive work by public and private stakeholders.
Key areas of action for inclusion in SMEs (see graphic on the right)
The results were first presented at the "Working with Disability" forum of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate in December 2025 and discussed with experts from various institutions. An article on the study will be published in "Verantwortung - Das Magazin für Nachhaltigkeit, CSR und innovatives Wachstum" (F.A.Z Institut) at the beginning of March 2026.
"I expressly welcome the fact that this study optimizes the data situation on inclusive work in SMEs. In order to implement an inclusive labor market in accordance with Article 27 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, this essential pillar of the economy is also needed. The findings of this study can help to support SMEs in leveraging the skilled and labor potential of people with disabilities in Rhineland-Palatinate," says Ellen Kubica, State Commissioner for the Interests of People with Disabilities MASTD.
Further information and download of the free, detailed study report including all results and recommendations for action at: https://imi.hwg-lu.de/projekte/oeffentliche-foerderung/inklusion-im-mittelstand/
The Institute for Management and Innovation (IMI) at Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society (HWG LU) can look back on over 20 years of successful cooperation with renowned corporate partners and public institutions as an application-oriented business research and transfer institution. Since 2017, it has bundled university expertise in the areas of strategic management, innovation and sustainability management as well as business development.
Specialist contact:
Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society
Institute for Management and Innovation (IMI)
Dipl.-Kfm. Philipp Tachkov, M.Sc. Vilja Berner
Tel. 0621/5203-259
Email: imi@ 8< SPAM protection, please remove >8 hwg-lu.de
https://imi.hwg-lu.de/
