PwD inclusion in corporate India: What the data reveals about the 1% reality

PwD inclusion in corporate India: What the data reveals about the 1% reality Premium

We like to think we are doing enough. We look at our office posters about diversity. We celebrate special days on social media. We use all the right words. We say we are inclusive. We say we are open. We say everyone is welcome.

But words are easy, and actions are hard. When we looked at the numbers for 2025, we saw a very harsh truth, and it hit home the hard truth: ‘We are not doing enough.' In fact, we are barely scratching the surface.

For a long time, inclusion has been treated like a good to have. It was a moral thing to do. It was a kind thing to do. But we needed to know if it was actually happening. So, we looked at the data. Marching Sheep PwD Inclusion Index 2025 analysed 876 organisations across 59 different sectors, as we wanted to analyse the employment status for Persons with Disabilities (PwD) in Corporate India. The results? They are a wake-up call.

In a country as large as India, with so much talent and so many people, you would expect our workplaces to reflect the diversity in our society. Full of all kinds of people from different walks of life. But the data tells a different story. Out of all the employees in these 876 big organisations, how many have a disability? If we could state the exact percentage, it is 0.65%, which is less than one per cent.

To put that in simple terms: imagine a room full of 100 employees. Statistically, you will not find even one person with a disability in that room. The total number of PwDs employed across these top companies is just 33,841. When you think about the millions of jobs in this country, that number is tiny. It shows us that for most companies, inclusion is still just a word on a slide, on a website, to please investors and board members, not a person in a chair.

It gets harder to hear. You might think, “Well, at least every big company hires a few people, right?” Wrong. Our research shows a huge number of companies have hired exactly zero people with disabilities. In 2025, nearly 38% of organisations had zero permanent PwD employees.

Think about that. More than one out of every three companies has completely shut its doors. They have not even started their PwD inclusion journey. They have not hired a single PwD. This is a large, untapped group of people. These are people who want to work. They have skills. They have dreams. But for 38% of companies, these people remain invisible.

On one side, we have Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), government companies. On the other hand, we have the private sector, which loves to talk about innovation, agility, change, and pace. They talk about being modern and agile. But when it comes to including people with disabilities, they are still thinking.

The data shows as follows: 72% of all PwD employment comes from the PSUs. Government companies are leading the way, maybe for compliance, they are at least taking some action. They are the ones who give opportunities. Private sector engagement is still very limited. We see some growth; the private sector numbers went up by about 5% this year, but because the starting number was so low, it is still a small drop in the ocean. We cannot expect the government to do it all. The private sector needs to step up.

What happens once a person with a disability gets hired? Do they get promoted? Do they become managers? Do they become leaders? Sadly, the answer is usually “no.”

We found most roles for PwDs are concentrated at the bottom. They are mostly in entry-level jobs or blue-collar roles. This creates a sticky floor. People get in, but they get stuck. They watch other people climb the ladder while they stay in the same place. The corporate pyramid for them is broken. We don't see PwD leaders. We don't see PwD managers. We only see them at the start. This sends a clear message. It says: “You are welcome here, but only to do the basic work.” Or “You are welcome here, but only because we need to report in BRSR.”

We didn't just look at the hiring numbers. We also asked the people themselves. We surveyed the PwD community to understand how they feel. Their answers were heartbreaking.

About 73% feel their pay is not fair and around 68% say their workplace is not accessible.

Imagine going to work every day in a place that wasn't built for you. Maybe the software doesn't work with your screen reader. Maybe the bathroom door is too heavy. Maybe the ramp is too steep. This is not inclusion. This is a struggle. Many also told us that recruiters treat their disability as a risk. They get filtered out before they even meet the hiring manager.

And if this was not upsetting enough, here are some walls put up from the other side:

- Please send us a PwD candidate whose disability is not so visible

- I have to pay a candidate with disability the same as others, then I expect the same productivity? Will they be able to handle the pressure?

- We cannot push business to take a candidate even if the PwD candidate is deserving. At the end of the day, they have to work with the manager.

- Why do we need to pay so much? We are doing them a favour anyways.

- Is invisible disability a thing? Or just an excuse?

And there are many more.

Is there a solution? Yes. And it is simpler than you think. Our data found a magic number. That number is 10. We found retention of PwDs, keeping employees happy and in the job, is much higher when a company employs at least ten people with disabilities.

When you are the only person like you in the room, it is lonely. You feel isolated. You feel like an outsider. But when there are ten of you, you have a community. You have a support system. Stability jumps to over 60% when companies hit this number. So, our advice to leaders and HR teams is simple: Don't just hire one person to check a box. Start with ten. Build a team. Create a culture.

We need to change how we think about PwD hiring and inclusion. For too long, hiring people with disabilities was seen as charity or part of CSR. It was something you did to feel good. We need to shift from charity to capability. We need to shift from compliance (following the rules) to confidence. This is not just about being nice. It is about business. Diverse teams are better teams. They solve problems better. They understand customers better.

We have the data. The ‘Why' is clear. If someone still thinks that the information in this article is not for them, I just wanted to share that not all people with disabilities are born disabled. Around 90% of persons with disability acquire the disability between the ages of 18 to 65 years. Any one of us can join the community at any time, due to an illness, accident or crime. That is the harshest truth of life.

So now, we must act. For all of us.

We need to do Accessibility Audits. Check your physical office. Check your digital tools. We need to fix our hiring process. Remove the physical requirements that don't matter for the job. We need to train and sensitise our managers, so they don't fear disability, but value it.

By 2030, the world will look very different. Do we want to be a corporate world that leaves people behind? Or do we want to be in a world where everyone belongs? The data shows that we are failing. But it also shows that we can improve. Let's stop keeping talent on the fringes. Let's make inclusion real. Every day. In every decision.

(Sonica Aron is the Founder and CEO of Marching Sheep.)

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Published - December 05, 2025 05:46 pm IST

education / discrimination / disabled / employment

Source: The Hindu
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