As the spread of COVID-19 slows and restrictions begin to be lifted, people appear to be returning to work, according to the most recent National Trends in Disability Employment – Monthly Update (nTIDE), issued by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability (UNH-IOD).
nTIDE COVID Update (month-to-month comparison)
According to the recent Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Jobs Report, the employment-to-population ratio for working-age people with disabilities increased from 26.3% in April to 27.7% in May (up 5.3% or 1.4 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the employment-to-population ratio also increased from 63.2% in April to 65.2% in May (up 3.2% or 2 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), a media release from Kessler Foundation explains.
“Comparing April to May, we see increases in the employment-to-population ratio, as well as the labor force participation rate, for both people with and without disabilities,” says John O’Neill, PhD, director of employment and disability research at Kessler Foundation. “These findings may be an indication of people with and without disabilities returning to work as restrictions ease and businesses open up.”
For working-age people with disabilities, the labor force participation rate increased from 32.7% in April to 34.2% in May (up 4.6% or 1.5 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the labor force participation rate also increased from 73.6% in April to 74.8% in May (up 1.6% or 1.2 percentage points). The labor force participation rate is the percentage of the population that is (a) working, (b) not working and on temporary layoff, or (c) not working and actively looking for work.
“There are concerns that workers who lost their jobs permanently (immediately or after being on furlough for a period of time) will stop looking for work and thus exit the labor force,” explains economist Andrew Houtenville, PhD, research director of the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability, the release continues. “Seeing an increase in the labor force participation rate of people with disabilities is a very encouraging sign. People are remaining engaged in the labor market.”
Traditional nTIDE Numbers (comparison to the same time last year)
The employment-to-population ratio for working-age people with disabilities decreased from 30.7% in May 2019 to 27.7% in May 2020 (down 9.8% or 3 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the employment-to-population ratio also decreased from 74.5% in May 2019 to 65.2% in May 2020 (down 12.5% or 9.3 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).
For working-age people without disabilities, the labor force participation rate for working-age people with disabilities increased from 32.8% in May 2019 to 34.2% in May 2020 (up 4.3% or 1.4 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the labor force participation rate also decreased from 77.1% in May 2019 to 74.8% in May 2020 (down 3 percent or 2.3 percentage points). The labor force participation rate is the percentage of the population that is (a) working, (b) not working and on temporary layoff, or (c) not working and actively looking for work.
For reference, in May 2020, among all workers ages 16-64, there were 403,900 workers with disabilities, which represented 3.1% of the total 128,693,000 workers in the US.
For more information, visit Kessler Foundation.
