The job numbers increased slightly as the economy strived to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the recently released National Trends in Disability Employment – Monthly Update (nTIDE) for February 2021, issued by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability (UNH-IOD).

With the ongoing decline in COVID-19 cases and the increasing success of the vaccine rollout, the outlook is positive for continued improvement. The prospects for additional federal aid are another factor that may affect the indicators in the coming months, Kessler Foundation notes in a media release.

nTIDE COVID Update (month-to-month comparison)

According to a recent Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Jobs Report, the employment-to-population ratio for working-age people with disabilities increased from 28.7% in January to 28.8% in February 2021 (up 0.3% or 0.1 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the employment-to-population ratio also increased from 70.5% in January to 71.1% in February 2021 (up 0.9% or 0.6 percentage points).

The employment-to-population ratio, a key indicator, reflects the percentage of people who are working relative to the total population (the number of people working divided by the number of people in the total population multiplied by 100).

“In contrast to January, we saw a slight improvement in the employment-to-population ratio. We may continue to see improvement in the employment-to-population ratio in coming months,” he said, “as we gain control over COVID-19 outbreaks, and hospitalizations and mortality continues to decline.”

— John O’Neill, PhD, director of the Center for Employment and Disability Research at Kessler Foundation

The labor force participation rate for working-age people with disabilities increased from 32.8% in January to 33.4% in February 2021 (up 1.8% or 0.6 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the labor force participation rate also increased from 75.5% in January to 76.0% in February 2021 (up 0.7% or 0.5 percentage points).

The labor force participation rate is the percentage of the population that is working, not working and on temporary layoff, or not working and actively looking for work.

“The labor force participation rate for people with disabilities increased in February, with many people with disabilities looking for work. Over the course of the pandemic, we have seen people with disabilities staying engaged in the workforce—being on furlough or actively looking for work. We are hopeful that the modest improvements in February will continue as more and more individuals are vaccinated.”

— economist Andrew Houtenville, PhD, research director of the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability

Traditional nTIDE Numbers (comparison to the same time last year)

The employment-to-population ratio for working-age people with disabilities decreased from 30.9% in February 2020 to 28.8% in February 2021 (down 6.8% or 2.1 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the employment-to-population ratio also decreased from 74.8% in February 2020 to 71.1% in February 2021 (down 4.9% or 3.7 percentage points).

The labor force participation rate for working-age people with disabilities decreased from 33.8% in February 2020 to 33.4% in February 2021 (down 1.2% or 0.4 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the labor force participation rate also decreased from 77.7% in February 2020 to 76% in February 2021 (down 2.2% or 1.7 percentage points).

In February 2021, among workers ages 16-64, the 4,285,000 workers with disabilities represented 3.1% of the total 139,785,000 workers in the U.S.

nTIDE COVID Update – Friday, March 19 at 12:00 pm Eastern

Stay tuned for the mid-month update about the employment of people with disabilities as Kessler Foundation and UNH-IOD follow the impact of COVID-19 and look at the numbers in more detail.

[Source(s): Kessler Foundation, PRWeb]


Related Content:
January 2021 nTIDE: Recovery Stalls for People with Disabilities
December 2020 nTIDE: COVID Surge Slows Recovery for People with Disabilities
November 2020 nTIDE: Americans with Disabilities Remain Engaged in Labor Force