Disability employment gap has widened despite an increase of 240,000 disabled people in employment

Recent data shows that the disability employment gap of working-age disabled people in the UK is now at its widest point since 2018.

Published by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the statistics contain annual data to March 2022 and quarterly data to September 2022.

The statistics provide context for the UK Government’s goal to see one million more disabled people in work between 2017 and 2027. This target was met in 2022. They also provide context for the government’s commitment to reduce the gap between the employment rates of disabled and non-disabled people (known as the disability employment gap).

The need for these statistics was set out in the government’s disability strategy, ‘Improving lives: the future of work, health and disability’, published in November 2017.

Since 2013, the earliest comparable year, up to the start of the pandemic in March 2020, figures show that the general trend in disability employment has been positive. There has been strong growth in the number and rate of disabled people in employment and a narrowing of the gap between the rate of disabled and non-disabled people in employment (the disability employment gap).

However, the pandemic initially reversed these trends with year-on-year changes showing a fall in the disability employment rate and a widening of the disability employment gap in 2020.

The disability employment gap is found to be wider for disabled men, disabled people aged 50 to 64, disabled people with no qualifications, disabled people of white ethnicity, and disabled people living in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, North West England, and North East England.

Additionally, the disability employment rate is lower for disabled people with a mental health condition and those with five or more health conditions, according to the figures.

During 2021 and the first half of 2022, the disability employment rate and gap started to return to near pre-pandemic levels.

However, the latest data for July to September 2022 shows the disability employment rate has fallen on the year with the non-disabled employment rate rising. This means that the disability employment gap is now, worryingly, at its widest point since 2018.

This could be down to more organisations increasingly offering hybrid working roles, as opposed to the large trend of remote roles during the pandemic, where disabled people may struggle to get to an office location due to non-inclusive transport routes.

In addition, the widening of the disability employment gap could also be due to more people being classed as disabled. DWP’s figures reveal that the number of people reporting a long-term health condition or classed as disabled continues to rise. This is associated with an increase in people reporting mental health conditions, according to the department.

There were 4.9 million disabled people in employment in the UK in July to September 2022. This is an increase of 240,000 on the year and an overall increase of two million since the same quarter in 2013.

Disabled people were found to be more likely than non-disabled people to be working in health, retail, and education; working in lower-skilled occupations; self-employed; working part-time and subsequently less hours; working in the public sector; or working for a small employer.

To help encourage the employment of disabled employees, audio visual experts Universal AV shared how assistive technologies can support an inclusive and diverse workforce and why inclusion is important for any business as more roles adopt hybrid working.

In July to September 2022, the disability employment rate was over 50 percent, compared to 82.5 percent for non-disabled people.

Meanwhile, the disability unemployment rate was 7.2 percent in July to September 2022, compared to 3.2 percent for non-disabled people.

To help improve the lives of disabled people, the UK Government announced that a new Disability Action Plan is to be consulted on and published this year and it will set out the practical action ministers across government will take over the next two years.

Transport can play a huge role in disability employment so RiDC (Research Institute for Disabled People) is launching the UK’s first Evidence Centre for Inclusive Transport to work with disabled people, disability organisations, transport providers, and policymakers to both undertake research and develop solutions that aim to make transport accessible for everyone.