The Reykjanes Division of Disabled Issues (SMFR), southwest Iceland, lacks 61 employees and according to SMFR managing director, Sigrídur Kristjánsdóttir, if not for SMFR’s foreign-born workers, “the situation would be horrible.”
SMFR, which usually employs about 500 people, has lacked staff for the past two or three years and last year it decided solve the problem by hiring foreign-born workers, Morgunbladid reports.
Kristjánsdóttir said she especially needs educated caretakers for the disabled. “There is a great demand for caretakers for the disabled in the school system at all levels. The 24-hour service for the disabled suffers because of that.”
According to Kristjánsdóttir, the only way to solve the problem is for authorities and universities to cooperate on educating more caretakers for the disabled and improve their wages.
