Addressing Employment Disparities

The employment landscape for disabled individuals in the UK has seen notable changes over the past decade. However, significant disparities remain between the employment rates of disabled and non-disabled people. This blog post delves into recent data to shed light on these disparities and the progress made.

Employment Rate Disparities

According to the Labour Force Survey (LFS) data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the employment rate for disabled people (aged 16 to 64 years) was 53.2% in 2019, compared to 81.8% for non-disabled people. This represents a gap of 28.6 percentage points, highlighting a considerable disparity in employment opportunities between the two groups.

Despite this gap, there has been progress. The difference in employment rates between disabled and non-disabled people has decreased from 34.2 percentage points in 2013 to 28.6 percentage points in 2019. This reduction is driven by a faster increase in the employment rate for disabled people, which rose by 9.8 percentage points, compared to a 4.2 percentage point increase for non-disabled people during the same period.

Regional Variations

The employment rate for disabled people varies across the UK. In 2019, England had the highest rate at 53.7%, while Northern Ireland had the lowest at 37.8%. This regional disparity highlights the uneven progress in improving employment opportunities for disabled individuals across the country.

Growth in Employment Numbers

The number of disabled people in employment has increased significantly. In 2019, over 4.2 million disabled people were employed, up from nearly 2.9 million in 2013. This 46.5% increase is a positive indicator of progress. In contrast, the number of non-disabled people in employment increased by just under 1 million during the same period, representing a 3.8 percentage point increase.

Unemployment Rates

The unemployment rate for disabled people was 6.7% in 2019, compared to 3.7% for non-disabled people. Although the unemployment rate for disabled people has roughly halved since 2013 (when it was 14.5%), it remains significantly higher than that for non-disabled people. The substantial drop in the unemployment rate for disabled individuals is primarily due to the increase in employment opportunities.

Inactivity Rates

The rate of economic inactivity among disabled people has also decreased, from 49.2% in 2013 to 43.0% in 2019, a reduction of 6.2 percentage points. In comparison, the inactivity rate for non-disabled people decreased by only 1.3 percentage points during the same period. This reduction in inactivity among disabled individuals indicates that more disabled people are entering the workforce.

Conclusion

While there have been improvements in the employment rates of disabled individuals in the UK, significant disparities remain. Continued efforts are needed to bridge this gap and ensure equal employment opportunities for all. Addressing these disparities will not only benefit disabled individuals but also contribute to the overall economy.

For further details and in-depth analysis, refer to the Disability and Employment dataset Table 6 from the Office for National Statistics.