DRC Briefing highlights continuing inequalities

The latest Disability Rights Commission (DRC) briefing, based on the Labour Force Survey of April-June 07, shows that half of disabled people are in work compared with four-fifths of non-disabled people.

Disability rates increase with age; while 9% of adults aged 16-24 are disabled, this increases to 44% in the 50 – retirement age category.   There are 6.9 million people with disabilities of working age in Britain .   Nearly half of these are economically inactive with 30.5% expressing a desire to work.   One disabled person in four has no qualifications at all compared to one-in-ten non-disabled people.  

The type of disability has an impact on employment rate.   People with mental health disability are the least likely to be employed (21%).   People with diabetes have the highest employment rate (67.9%).

For full details please see ‘Disability Briefing, May 2007' at www.drc-gb.org/pdf/Disability_Briefing_May_2007.pdf .

International Labour Organisation global report on equality at work

This report shows that new forms of discrimination based on genetics and age are emerging, while traditional forms persist.

In relation to disability, the report found that disabled people are much less likely to secure employment in Europe than people without disabilities; for a moderately disabled person the figure is 47%, for a more significantly disabled person the figure is just 25%.   There is also a disability pay gap.

See: Equality at work: tackling the challenges, ILO, Geneva , 2007 at www.ilo.org/global/lang--en/index.htm .