People with disabilities in the workforce at record rates

The labor force participation rate reached an all-time high for people with disabilities in February, according to today’s National Trends in Disability Employment—Semiannual Update (nTIDE), issued by the Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability (UNH). -IOD).

Comparing employment rates year-over-year, nTIDE experts reported a narrowing of the employment gap between people with and without disabilities, consistent with the pandemic-era trend of people with disabilities outperforming their non-disabled counterparts in the labor market.

Year-over-year nTIDE numbers (comparing February 2022 to February 2023)

Based on data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Jobs Report, the labor force participation rate for people with disabilities (ages 16-64) rose from 36.6 percent in February 2022 to an all-time high seasons of 40.2 percent in February 2023 (up 9.8 percent or 3.6 percentage points). For people without disabilities (ages 16-64), the labor force participation rate also increased from 76.9 percent in February 2022 to 77.3 percent in February 2023 (an increase of 0.5 percent, or 0. 4 percentage points).

The labor force participation rate reflects the percentage of people in the labor force (working, on layoff, on leave, or actively looking for work in the past four weeks) relative to the total population (number of people in the labor force divided by the number of individuals in the total population multiplied by 100).

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, people with disabilities have remained in the workforce and are now participating in the workforce at record rates, reaching just over 40% in February for the first time since the BLS began collecting data on people with disabilities in 2008,” noted Andrew Houtenville, Ph.D., UNH-IOD professor of economics and director of research. “Several factors may be influencing the increased participation of people with disabilities, including increasing job opportunities and the imperative to work as families face rising prices,” he added.

In terms of employment, the employment-to-population ratio for people of working age with disabilities (aged 16-64) increased from 33.1 percent in February 2022 to 36.9 percent in February 2023 (an increase of 11.5 percent or 3.8 percentage points). For people of working age without disabilities (ages 16-64), the employment-to-population ratio also increased from 73.8 percent in February 2022 to 74.4 percent in February 2023 (an increase of 0.8 percent or 0.6 percentage points). The employment-to-population ratio, a key indicator, reflects the percentage of people in work relative to the total population (the number of people in work divided by the number of people in the total population multiplied by 100).

“We saw a narrowing of the gap in the employment-to-population ratio between people with and without disabilities from February 2022 to this year,” said John O’Neill, Ph.D., director of the Foundation’s Center for Employment and Disability Research Kessler. “This is consistent with the gains we’ve seen as people with disabilities have rebounded strongly from the pandemic,” he added.

“The narrowing of the employment gap is also supported by findings from the Kessler Foundation’s latest survey, the National Employment & Disability Survey 2022: Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Supervisor Prospects, which shows an increase in practices that facilitate hiring, recruitment and retention of people with disabilities’.

Month-by-month nTIDE numbers (comparing January 2023 to February 2023)

Reflecting seasonal effects, the labor force participation rate for people with disabilities (aged 16-64) increased slightly from 39.6 percent in January 2023 to 40.2 percent in February 2023 (up 1.5 percent hundred or 0.6 percentage points). For people without disabilities (ages 16-64), the labor force participation rate also rose slightly from 76.8 percent in January 2023 to 77.3 percent in February 2023 (an increase of 0.7 percent or 0 .5 percentage points).

Similarly, the employment-to-population ratio for people with disabilities (aged 16-64) increased slightly from 36.7 percent in January 2023 to 36.9 percent in February 2023 (an increase of 0.5 percent or 0. 2 percentage points). For people without disabilities (ages 16-64), the employment-to-population ratio also rose slightly from 73.9 percent in January 2023 to 74.4 percent in February 2023 (up 0.7 percent, or 0. 5 percentage points).

In February 2023, among workers aged 16-64, 5,973,000 workers with disabilities represented 4.0 percent of the total 149,028,000 US workers

Note: Statistics in nTIDE are based on BLS numbers but are not identical. Adjusted by UNH to combine statistics for working-age men and women (16-64).