Over one million more disabled people are in employment compared
to five years ago according to the latest ONS (Office for
National Statistics) data released today (Tuesday 17 May),
confirming the government has achieved a key ambition in its
efforts improve the lives of disabled people.
The latest figures show the number of disabled people in
employment has increased by 1.3 million since 2017, delivering on
a government goal to see one million more in work by 2027.
The 10-year employment goal was a government manifesto commitment
originally set in 2017 to break down barriers for disabled people
and those with health conditions and to build more
diverse and inclusive workforces.
Welcoming the milestone and recognising that more can be done,
the Minister for Disabled People will tomorrow (Wednesday 18 May)
open a Disability Confident jobs fair at Hillman Street Jobcentre
in Hackney, East London.
The event has been set up to give jobseekers with disabilities
the chance to meet local employers, support groups and work
coaches to help them access work and training opportunities that
meet their career goals, as work is the best way for people to
get on and improve their lives.
Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work said:
This is an important milestone showing our commitment to
supporting disabled people to lead independent lives and reach
their full potential.
Ensuring everyone has the same opportunity for a fulfilling
working life is a key part of levelling up the country and we
will continue to push for greater accessibility and inclusion for
disabled jobseekers.
There are a range of government initiatives, including schemes in
partnership with the health system, to support those with
disabilities and health conditions to live independent lives and
to start, stay and succeed in employment.
One of these, the Disability Confident scheme, helps employers
create more accessible and diverse workforces by championing
inclusive recruitment practices. The scheme, which covers 11
million paid workers, helps employers think differently about
disability, and improve how they attract, recruit and retain
disabled workers. Ford, Sainsbury’s, Hilton and Coca-Cola are
among the thousands of organisations across the UK signed up to
the scheme aimed at boosting the number of disabled people in
work.
Over the next three years, the government will invest £1.3bn in
employment support for disabled people and people with health
conditions. This money will go toward building up existing
provision, including expanding employment support, to grow the
economy and help people with the cost of living.
Support into employment will also be an important theme within
the DWP’s Health and Disability White Paper, due to be published
later this summer, and it will outline further detail about how
the £1.3bn investment will be spent.
Further information
- Other DWP initiatives include the Intensive Personalised
Employment Support programme, Access to Work, Employment Advisors
in Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services
and Disability Confident.
- In 2017 the government set a goal to see a million more
disabled people in employment between 2017 and 2027. The latest
figures released for Q1 2022 show that between Q1 2017 and Q1
2022 the number of disabled people in employment increased by
1.3m.
- There were 4.8m disabled people in employment in the UK in Q1
2022.
- This is an increase of 460,000 on the year, an increase
of 470,000 since Q1 2020 and an overall increase of 1.9m
since the same quarter in 2014.
- The disability employment gap was 28.2 percentage points in
Q1 2022.
- This is a decrease of 0.2 percentage points on the year,
a decrease of 0.5 percentage points since Q1 2020 and an
overall decrease of 5.6 percentage points since the same
quarter in 2014.
