Employment of citizens by quotas

What is a quota?

It is the minimum number of jobs (employees) that employers must establish to ensure employment for persons with special needs who require social protection and face difficulties in finding work.

Who are classified as citizens who have special needs for social protection and find it difficult to get a job?

• Young people under 20 years old;
• Parents raising one or more minor children;
• Parents raising disabled children up to 18 years old;
• Persons less than 2 years away from retirement age;
• Persons with disabilities;
• Citizens released from prison;
• Obligatory refugees;
• War veterans;
• Members of martyr families.

What is taken into account while concluding an employment contract between an employer and an employee while providing employment under a quota?

While setting quotas for enterprises and concluding employment contracts between employers and employees, the list of production areas prohibited by the relevant normative legal acts for the employment of women, employees under the age of 18, and persons with disabilities shall be taken into account.

What are the non-quota enterprises?

• State authorities;
• Central and local elected bodies (except for non-elected positions);
• Science and higher education institutions;
• Enterprises with an average annual number of employees fewer than 25 people;
• State-funded structural units, penitentiaries, and pre-trial detention facilities subordinated to the military, law enforcement, state security, foreign intelligence, and prosecutor's offices.

What are the most preferred categories while setting quotas for enterprises?

While setting quotas for institutions, persons with disabilities, including children under the age of 18 with disabilities, are given the highest priority.

How is the limit set when setting quotas for enterprises, departments and organizations?

The quota is determined based on the labor market situation, provided it does not exceed 5% of the average annual number of employees.

How is the quota for employers determined?

• In enterprises with 25 to 50 employees, 3% of the average annual number of employees (not less than one job) is reserved; among these jobs, at least one is intended for persons with disabilities, including children under the age of 18 with disabilities.
• In enterprises with 50 to 100 employees, 4% of the average annual number of employees is reserved, including 2% specifically for persons with disabilities, including children under 18 with disabilities.
• In enterprises with more than 100 employees, 5% of the average annual number of employees is reserved, including 2.5% specifically for persons with disabilities, including children under 18 years of age with disabilities.

Where should a person wanting to be provided with quota jobs apply?

Recruitment for positions established under the enterprise quota is conducted by local branches of the State Employment Agency under the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Azerbaijan or by the DOST Centers. Referrals to quota jobs are made by these agencies.

In what cases is the quota considered by the employer as a refusal to hire the person to whom the job was sent?

The employer’s submission to the local bodies of the State Employment Agency or DOST Centers under the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population of the Republic of Azerbaijan, with the relevant notes in the second part of the "Referral," is considered a refusal to hire.

Can people with special needs for social protection apply directly to the employer for employment?

Persons with special needs for social protection may apply directly to enterprises for employment. In such cases, employers may hire them within the established quota, provided that they notify the local bodies of the State Employment Agency or DOST Centers no later than 5 days afterward.

How and within how many days should this information be provided when a new quota vacancy arises in the workplace?

In the event of a vacancy in a workplace allocated under the quota during the quota application period, employers must notify the local offices of the State Employment Agency or DOST Centers within 5 days.

What are the reasons for bringing employers to administrative responsibility for quotas?

• Not to admit persons with special needs for social protection to workplaces for which quotas have been established.
• Failure to submit a monthly report on those hired and dismissed under the quota in the prescribed form within the legally established deadline.

What are the forms of administrative penalties imposed on the quota by the employer?

Administrative penalties provided for in the legislation are deducted from the labor or other income of the employer-official (manager).

What are the administrative penalties for quotas?

Employers shall be fined in the amount ranging from 1,500 to 2,000 manats for refusing to admit persons with special needs for social protection and those having difficulty finding a job, who are referred by local bodies of the State Employment Agency or DOST Centers.