The post-pandemic economic recovery of people with disabilities remained strong in April and continued at historic highs, according to the 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). Looking ahead, nTIDE experts will watch closely for the potential impact of anti-inflation measures on the labor market.

Month-to-Month nTIDE Numbers (comparing March 2022 to April 2022)

Three major factors outweigh the small declines in April’s nTIDE numbers, according to John O’Neill, PhD, director of the Center for Employment and Disability Research at Kessler Foundation. “First, employment remains steady in the face of economic uncertainty. Second, this month saw the seventh consecutive month where labor force participation was higher than the 2008 historic high. Finally, the employment-to-population ratio and labor force participation continue to exceed pre-pandemic levels. We have not seen such sustained good news since 2018, when people with disabilities emerged from the employment lows of the Great Recession.”

In the recent US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Jobs Report, the employment-to-population ratio for working-age people with disabilities decreased slightly from 34.1 percent in March to 34.0% in April (down 0.3% or 0.1 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the employment-to-population ratio stayed the same as in March at 74.5%. 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).

Three major factors outweigh the small declines in April’s numbers, according to John O’Neill, PhD, director of the Center for Employment and Disability Research at Kessler Foundation. “First, employment remains steady in the face of economic uncertainty. Second, this month saw the seventh consecutive month where labor force participation was higher than the 2008 historic high. Finally, the employment-to-population ratio and labor force participation continue to exceed pre-pandemic levels. We have not seen such sustained good news since 2018, when people with disabilities emerged from the employment lows of the Great Recession.

Findings were similar for April’s labor force participation rates. For working-age people with disabilities, the labor force participation rate decreased slightly, from 37.8% in March to 37.5% in April (down 0.8% or 0.3 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the labor force participation rate also decreased slightly from 77.2% in March to 76.9% in April (down 0.4% or 0.3 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.

“Overall, the post-lockdown economic recovery of people with disabilities remains relatively strong and, in fact, stronger than the economic recovery of people without disabilities,” remarked Andrew Houtenville, PhD, professor of economics and the research director of the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability.

“Our data show that the Great Resignation is largely a phenomenon among workers without disabilities,” Dr. Houtenville added, “as we see people with disabilities remaining engaged in the labor market. In the coming months, we will be looking at how the Federal Reserve’s actions to combat inflation will affect the labor market and the job numbers.”

Year-to-Year Numbers (Comparing April 2021 to April 2022)

The employment-to-population ratio for working-age people with disabilities increased from 30.2% in April 2021 to 34% in April 2022 (up 12.6% or 3.8 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the employment-to-population ratio also increased from 71.9% in April 2021 to 74.5% in April 2022 (up 3.6% or 2.6 percentage points).

The labor force participation rate for working-age people with disabilities increased from 33.7% in April 2021 to 37.5% in April 2022 (up 11.3% or 3.8 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the labor force participation rate also increased from 76.2% in April 2021 to 76.9% in April 2022 (up 0.9% or 0.7 percentage points).

In April 2022, among workers ages 16-64, the 5,653,000 workers with disabilities represented 3.8 percent of the total 147,651,000 workers in the U.S.

[Source(s): Kessler Foundation, EurekAlert]

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March 2022 nTIDE: Job Numbers Exceed Historic Highs for 6 Months for People with Disabilities