Employees with disabilities use AI more often than colleagues

According to a Randstad report, Belgian workers with disabilities use more AI than their colleagues without disabilities. Employers should also put more effort into AI training in the workplace.

Belgian workers with a (mild) disability are remarkably more likely to use artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace than their colleagues without disabilities. That’s according to Randstad’s latest report. More than half of these employees use AI to solve work-related problems. Yet training opportunities are often lacking, which can cost companies talent.

The survey was published as part of the International Day for People with Disabilities (Dec. 3). The survey involved 1,200 Belgian workers, including 200 workers with mild to severe disabilities.

AI as a tool

Randstad’s report shows that 54 percent of Belgian workers with disabilities use AI to address problems in the workplace. Among their colleagues without disabilities, the figure is only 34 percent. In addition, nearly half (49 percent) of workers with disabilities use AI at least weekly for their work, compared with 32 percent of their colleagues.

AI is used by this group for a variety of tasks, such as speeding up administrative and non-administrative work. Examples include writing or translating e-mails and scheduling meetings. AI also provides solutions that remove barriers, such as real-time subtitling for the hearing impaired or image recognition for the visually impaired.

Wim Van der Linden, spokesman for Randstad, emphasizes the supporting role of AI: “AI can reduce accessibility barriers and add value for workers with disabilities.”

Lack of AI training

Despite the benefits, workers with disabilities also experience obstacles. For example, 57 percent of them have to seek out AI training on their own to improve their skills, compared to 37 percent of their colleagues without disabilities. The lack of training opportunities has consequences: one-third of workers with disabilities are considering changing jobs if their employer does not offer AI training.

Belgian companies generally offer little AI training. Only 31 percent of Belgian employees have access to such training, which is below the global average of 35 percent. Older workers (18 percent) in particular have limited access to AI training, while younger colleagues (41 percent) have more opportunities.

Finally, international figures show that emerging markets such as India and Brazil are further ahead in AI use in the workplace. Belgian companies score relatively low here, indicating a potential long-term competitive disadvantage.