Retail giant Tesco has become the first company in the UK to set itself targets for the recruitment of disabled people.
In recent years, Tesco has turned 500 disabled worker placements into permanent jobs. But the new announcement means that it has agreed to hire a minimum of 100 disabled people this year, rising to 200 from next year.
The company says that the move is to “better reflect its customer base” and encourage diversity in its workforce.
The supermarket has signed national agreements with Remploy, the Government agency for getting the disabled into work and disabled recruitment specialist the Shaw Trust.
Under the agreements Tesco stores will notify the agencies of job vacancies. The agencies will then deal with the placement and support of disabled workers.
"This agreement represents the culmination of a very thorough review by Tesco of its employment practices, and is an example to other employers,” said Remploy’s Stuart Knowles.
"There are over a million disabled people with a wide range of skills who want to work and are simply looking for an opportunity to do so."