Incorpora hires 2,000 people with mental health problems
On the eve of World Mental Health Day, the Incorpora programme calls for equal opportunities in employment and the role of companies in normalising the employment situation of this group.
The Incorpora programme of the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation, through its Incorpora Mental Health line, has helped 5,300 people with mental health problems in 2024 and has achieved almost 2,000 social and occupational insertions in 1,200 companies throughout Spain.
From the network of social entities that collaborate with the programme, the needs of each company are analysed and a tailor-made plan is designed that includes advice and accompaniment in the incorporation into the job, adaptation and subsequent maintenance.
Laia Ferrer, psychologist: ‘The social and occupational inclusion of people with mental health problems has proven to be a key factor in their recovery’
‘The inclusion of people with mental health problems in the world of work has proven to be a key factor in their recovery, helping them to improve their self-esteem and quality of life’, assures Laia Ferrer, clinical psychologist and collaborator of the Incorpora programme.
Ferrer highlights the benefits of employment, especially for young people: ‘Young people with mental health problems who get their first job opportunity arrive with a lot of enthusiasm, with extra motivation’.
According to the World Health Organisation, 25 % of the population will have a mental health problem in their lifetime, and in 75 % of cases it will manifest itself before those affected have reached the age of majority.
‘As a society, we have the challenge of abandoning discriminatory or stigmatising behaviour towards these boys and girls in order to favour a better future for all,’ adds Ferrer.
The importance of awareness-raising
Stigma, fear and ignorance continue to be the main barriers to the integration of people with mental health problems into the labour market, making this one of the population groups with the highest unemployment rates.
In order to break down these barriers, Incorpora Mental Health technicians carry out important awareness-raising work, focusing especially on companies and the promotion of diversity in the workplace.
Working and having a work routine makes it easier for people with mental health problems to structure their life project, while at the same time giving them an active role in society that increases their self-esteem and wellbeing.
On the eve of World Mental Health Day, the Incorpora programme calls for equal opportunities in employment and reminds us that people with mental health problems can access any job for which they have the necessary skills, as their diagnosis is not a determining factor when assessing their candidature.
Incorpora, at the side of groups at risk of exclusion
The main aim of the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation's Incorpora programme is to promote the inclusion in the labour market of people at risk of social exclusion.
Since it was set up in 2006, more than 450,000 people in vulnerable situations have obtained employment through Incorpora. This is possible thanks to the networking of more than 400 social entities and the collaboration of thousands of socially responsible companies from all over Spain in various sectors such as hospitality, commerce, cleaning, social and health care, transport, industry and logistics.
