Disabled unemployment highest since before the pandemic – new TUC analysis shows
New analysis by the TUC today highlights failure to support disabled people into work, as the unemployment rate for disabled people is the highest since before the pandemic
The TUC is today setting out a five-point plan to better support disabled people into work and retain their skills once employed.
New TUC analysis today shows the unemployment rate for disabled people is the highest since before the pandemic - more than double the unemployment rate for non-disabled people - highlighting the failure of previous attempts to support disabled people into work.
This failure has been a long time in the making, following the Conservatives’ decade of austerity and punitive approach to welfare. The decade after 2013 saw a huge rise in the disability employment gap when adjusted for prevalence, making the UK among the worst in the OECD.
The TUC believes the Mayfield Review, due out shortly, could be a potential step in the right direction. This Government-sponsored review into support for disabled people to start and stay in work is an opportunity to learn from failed approaches of the past, and ahead of its publication the TUC is today setting out a five-point plan to better support disabled people into work and to ensure they are retained.
This includes calls on Ministers not to impose arbitrary and unfair cuts on disability benefits.
New analysis from the TUC today shows the stark failures of previous attempts to support disabled people into work. In fact, the figures are going in the wrong direction, with disabled people more likely to move from inactivity into unemployment than work - which is bad for growth, bad for tax takings, and more importantly bad for those individuals who could be receiving the benefits of work.
The disability employment gap remains stubbornly high – with a 29-point gap between levels of employment of disabled and non-disabled people. For those in work, previous TUC analysis shows disabled people lose out on £82.25 per week, or £4,300 a year.
Instead, the TUC is today setting out a five-point plan of effective action to support disabled people into work:
Reform the Access to Work scheme, so that nobody is forced out of work because of preventable barriers within the system - clearing the back log, and focusing on the needs of disabled people
Deliver the promise of disability pay gap reporting and action plans, so that efforts to address the employment gap for disabled people don’t repeat old mistakes—placing disabled people into work without fixing the conditions that push many out
Support good employers to hire and retain disabled people through higher statutory sick pay, and the provision of disability leave
Take on employers who illegally discriminate against disabled people by strengthening the arm of regulators
Retain PIP eligiblity at current levels so that disabled people already in work don’t have the rug pulled out from under them - PIP should be funded to meet demand now and into the future
TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said:
“Our employment system is failing disabled people. We can’t carry on as we are.
”The government is right to focus on supporting more disabled people into work
“We need a proper plan to help disabled people get into and stay in work - supporting good employers, going after bad ones, and reforming the Access to Work scheme, a potential lifeline for thousands of disabled people.
“The Mayfield Review is a real opportunity to turn the page, after the Tories spent a decade turning their backs on disabled workers.”
Notes to editors:
- About the TUC: The Trades Union Congress (TUC) exists to make the working world a better place for everyone. We bring together the 5.5 million working people who make up our 48 member unions. We support unions to grow and thrive, and we stand up for everyone who works for a living.
- Methodology: TUC analysis is based on ONS dataset A08 - Labour market status of disabled people. These figures are for GB only: the Equality Act 2010 does not apply to Northern Ireland. ONS figures are not seasonally adjusted, so comparisons over time use only the April-June quarter. ONS warns the "data from 2019 onward has been reweighted, causing a step change discontinuity". Full table below
- In November 2024 the pay gap was 17.2% which equals £2.35 an hour. For an employee working 35 hours a week, this would be equivalent to £82.25 per week, or £4,300 a year. https://www.tuc.org.uk/news/tuc-disability-pay-gap-reaches-staggering-l…
- Resolution Foundation analysis shows when accounting for the rising prevalence of disability among the working-age population, a prevalence-adjusted measure of the disability employment gap sees it rising from 5.4 per cent in 2013 to 6.8 per cent in 2023: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/opening-doors/
- The TUC’s full 5-point plan to properly support disabled people into work:
Reform the Access to Work scheme, so that no disabled person, whether employed or self-employed, is forced out of work because of preventable barriers within the system
‘Access to work’ is an employment support programme that helps disabled people with practical or financial support to start or stay in work
The current scheme is failing to deliver. People wait months, if not years for support, shortfalls in funding mean they can’t get the help they need, and too many workers and employers are unaware it even exits. These failures cause financial instability and push disabled people out of work altogether.
The Government should reform the scheme so that it properly helps people into work, with a quicker and more tailored application process, giving people an ‘in principle’ indicative award while they wait, and removing the cap on the amount of support someone can receive.
Deliver the promise of disability pay gap reporting and action plans, so that efforts to address the employment gap for disabled people don’t repeat old mistakes—placing disabled people into work without fixing the conditions that push many out. Pay gap reporting and accompanying action plans will force an employer to analyse their data, develop concrete plans on how they will address any gaps they have identified and to be transparent on what those are. Our evidence suggests that reasonable adjustments and addressing bullying discrimination and harassment should be at the heart of good action plans.
Support good employers to hire and retain disabled people through higher statutory sick pay, and the provision of disability leave
While the Government introduced welcome improvements to statutory sick pay, there is an urgent need to review the rate, which is low by international standards
Introducing disability leave would ensure employers record disability related leave separately from sick leave, recognising some people may have higher rates of absence because of their disability.
Take on employers who illegally discriminate against disabled people by strengthening the arm of regulators
The Equality and Human Rights Commission enforces discrimination against disabled people, but should be strengthened: a disability committee to ensure this remains a focus; clear guidance on positive action and reasonable adjustments employers can make to support people; and proper funding to carry out targeted enforcement where things go wrong. The Commission would also benefit from having trade union representation on its board.
Retain PIP eligibility at current levels, and ensure it is funded into the future so that disabled people already in work don’t have the rug pulled out from under them
Personal Independence Payments (PIP) helps people with the extra costs of being disabled. Around one in six PIP recipients are in work, and PIP provides an important support to enable people to access and remain in work.
Tightening PIP eligibility, as the Government attempted to do earlier this year, would withdraw much-needed support from those people already in work, and risk further deterioration in people’s health rather than supporting employment
Contacts:
TUC press office
media@tuc.org.uk
020 7467 1248
Labour market statistics for people with disabilities (16-64, rates, GB)
| Equality Act Core Disabled | People who do not meet the Equality Act core definition of disability (excluding those who did not state their health situation) | ||||
| Employment | Unemployed | Economically inactive | Employment | Unemployed | Economically inactive |
Apr-Jun 2017 | 49.6 | 9 | 45.5 | 80.6 | 3.8 | 16.2 |
Apr-Jun 2018 | 51.2 | 8.8 | 43.9 | 81.2 | 3.4 | 16 |
Apr-Jun 2019 | 53 | 7.3 | 42.8 | 81.5 | 3.4 | 15.7 |
Apr-Jun 2020 | 52.2 | 6.9 | 43.9 | 81.3 | 3.7 | 15.6 |
Apr-Jun 2021 | 52.5 | 8.4 | 42.7 | 81 | 4 | 15.7 |
Apr-Jun 2022 | 53 | 6.8 | 43.2 | 81.6 | 3.2 | 15.7 |
Apr-Jun 2023 | 53.3 | 7.2 | 42.5 | 82.1 | 3.7 | 14.8 |
Apr-Jun 2024 | 53.4 | 7 | 42.6 | 81.6 | 3.7 | 15.3 |
Apr-Jun 2025 | 53.2 | 8.6 | 41.8 | 82.5 | 4 | 14.1 |
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change over three years: | 0.2 | 1.8 | -1.4 | 0.9 | 0.8 | -1.6 |
change over past year: | -0.2 | 1.6 | -0.8 | 0.9 | 0.3 | -1.2 |
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ONS dataset A08 - Labour market status of disabled people: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmen…
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