TUC calls for Timms Review to deliver “genuine reform” of PIP - as disabled people twice as likely to be unemployed

• New TUC analysis shows that the unemployment rate for disabled people is at its highest since before the pandemic.   
• In its submission to the Timms Review into Personal Independence Payment (PIP), the union body says that the benefit is crucial for disabled people to get into and stay in work, but warns that in its current state is not working as intended. 
• Disabled trade union members from across the UK are meeting in Bournemouth (19-20 May) for the TUC disabled workers conference.

The TUC is today (Monday) calling for “genuine reform” of the Personal Independence Payment scheme (PIP), as new analysis shows that disabled people are more than twice as likely to be unemployed compared to non-disabled people.

The intervention comes as the TUC submits evidence to the Timms Review into PIP – the review says its aim is to support disabled people to achieve better health, higher living standards and greater independence, including through employment.

TUC analysis shows that the unemployment rate for disabled people is 8.8% - it’s highest since before the pandemic - compared to 4.3% for non-disabled people. The situation is even worse for young disabled workers – with an unemployment rate of 24.2%, compared to 12.2% for those who are not disabled. 

The union body says that reforming PIP is an important part of the solution to boosting disabled people’s employment rates – alongside stronger rights at work and improving the access to work scheme – adding that it’s vital that disabled people who can and want to work receive the support they need to enter and stay in employment. Young disabled people in particular need tailored support to help them move into work, says the TUC. 

All disabled people should be able to live in dignity, without living in fear that their lifeline will be taken away from them on a whim by inaccurate assessments.

Disabled people at breaking point  

As well as facing higher unemployment rates, disabled workers also earn significantly less than non-disabled workers on average - with the earning gulf between disabled and non-disabled workers currently at over £4,000 per year, or £2.24 per hour. 

And according to Scope analysis, disabled households also have to fork out an additional £1,095 a month on average to secure the same standard of living as non-disabled households. 

Disabled people would also be disproportionally impacted by Reform’s proposed Great Repeal Bill, as it would scrap the Equalities Act, a cornerstone for disabled workers’ rights. 

The Act offers protection against discrimination and it places a duty on employers to implement reasonable adjustments for their disabled staff.

Reasonable adjustments and role of employers 

The union body says that access to reasonable adjustments – such as allowing an employee to work flexibly, or providing specialised equipment like adapted keyboards or screen readers - is a key factor that can make the difference for disabled workers between being able to stay in work or having to leave employment. 

However, according to a TUC survey from 2025, over eight in ten (82%) disabled workers wait between 4 months and over a year to have agreed reasonable adjustments put in place, and over half (55%) of disabled workers don’t have requests for reasonable adjustments met – or have them only partially met.  

Disabled workers who took part in a TUC self-reporting survey (for its submission to the Timms Review) reported using PIP payments to cover for the cost of reasonable adjustments – many workers believed these costs should be covered by their employer or other support systems.

The TUC is calling on employers to do their part and implement reasonable adjustments to help keeping disabled employees in work. 

Opportunity for genuine reform

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is crucial for disabled people to get into and stay in work. However, in its current state the scheme is not working as intended.

Disabled workers who took part in the TUC self-reporting survey consistently showed low trust in the scheme, associated with repeated assessment and uncertainty. According to respondents, assessments frequently fail to reflect the realities of living and working with a disability, impairment or health condition. Structural and accessibility barriers were also a consistent feature of responses, with application and assessment process described as complex, time-consuming and difficult to navigate. 

The TUC welcomes the review of PIP the Government is undertaking, and it says that this is a “step in the right direction and a chance for genuine reform that helps disabled people move into and stay in work”. However, in order to get PIP right, the TUC is urging DWP to: 

• Reform the assessment process, moving away from a one-off, snapshot assessment to start capturing fluctuation, fatigue and recovery time - and making the process more accessible and less burdensome.
• Improve assessor expertise and decision-making, ensuring that assessors have relevant medical knowledge and/or training, and that medical evidence is given appropriate weight in decision-making.  
• Improve first decision accuracy and reduce reliance on appeals – as at present too many people are only awarded PIP when they challenge a refusal at tribunal.
• Ensure PIP payment levels reflect the true additional costs of disability  and the extra costs associated with working – such as travel, energy and support.  
• Reduce unnecessary reassessment, limiting repeat reassessments where conditions are unlikely to improve.  

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: 

“The government has a vital opportunity to support more disabled people into work through the Timms Review.

“Right now, disabled people are bearing the brunt of unemployment, low pay and insecure work – all while navigating a social security system that is not fit for purpose. 

“Only a genuine reform of PIP will ensure that disabled people who can work, receive the support they need to move into and stay in work. 

“But this must come alongside wider action too, like ensuring disabled workers get the reasonable adjustments they need, stronger rights at work and reform of the access to work scheme.

“That’s how you deliver a system that works for disabled workers.”

On the threat of Reform to disabled workers, Paul added:

“Nigel Farage wants to rip up vital protections for disabled workers and legalise discrimination.

“He likes to pretend that he’s on the side of working people but that couldn’t be further from the truth.”