Specialist recruitment agency Remploy has called for a national strategy to get more people with mental health problems and learning disabilities into work.

Remploy chief executive Bob Warner says the social stigma attached to mental health problems and a lack of confidence among employers means that these groups are still vastly under-represented in the workforce.

This, combined with low confidence among candidates, means that there are still considerable barriers to people in these groups joining the mainstream job market.

Statistics from the National Employment Panel say only a fifth of people in these groups have jobs, even though about half of the country’s disabled population are employed.

“The expectation among people with disabilities is that if they can work, they should be allowed to work in mainstream employment,” said Warner.

Any strategy should provide support and coaching, extra training and, if necessary, financial support for candidates with learning disabilities or mental health problems.

Support should also continue once candidates are in jobs to ensure successful outcomes, says Warner. But he adds that the diversity agenda has meant that some employers have started to take notice of the issue.

Pan-disability charity Radar is already putting together a task force to drive the national strategy forward. And mental health charity Mencap has launched a scheme called WorkRight, which aims to bring people with learning disabilities together with employers.

Finance giant Citigroup and information management firm Pitney Bowes have already backed the WorkRight scheme.

“The business case is that once you give them the opportunity, in our experience, these people are reliable. They help motivate others because they feel good about being part of the workforce,” said Mencap chief executive Jo Williams.