January job numbers showed gains for people with disabilities, who continue to surpass their pre-pandemic levels of employment according to the National Trends in Disability Employment – Monthly Update (nTIDE) for January 2022, issued by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability (UNH-IOD).

Despite concerns about January’s omicron surge, people with disabilities start the new year on a positive note, unlike people without disabilities, whose numbers remain below pre-pandemic levels.

This graphic compares the economic indicators for December 2021 and January 2022, showing increases for people with disabilities and decreases for people without disabilities. (Image courtesy of Kessler Foundation)

Month-to-Month nTIDE Numbers

According to the recently released BLS Jobs Report, the employment-to-population ratio for working-age people with disabilities increased slightly from 33.6% in December 2021 to 33.8% in January 2022 (up 0.6% or 0.2 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the employment-to-population ratio decreased from 73.9% in December 2021 to 73.1% in January 2022 (down 1.1% or 0.8 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).

“January’s rise in the employment-to-population ratio for people with disabilities extends this upward trend to five record-breaking months. Exceeding their historic highs reached in October 2008, they appear to be taking advantage of the large number of job openings, as employers tap traditionally undervalued members of the pool of willing workers.”

— 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 36.7% in December 2020 to 37.5% in January 2022 (up 2.2% or 0.8 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the labor force participation rate also decreased slightly from 76.6% in December 2021 to 76.4% in January 2022 (down 0.3% or 0.2 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.

“As we have seen throughout the pandemic, people with disabilities continued to engage in the labor market, increasing their labor force participation. Seeing this trend extend into January bodes well for the prospects of people with disabilities striving to work in the New Year.”

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

Year-to-Year nTIDE Numbers

The employment-to-population ratio for working-age people with disabilities increased from 28.7% in January 2021 to 33.8% in January 2022 (up 17.8% or 5.1 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the employment-to-population ratio also increased from 70.5% in January 2021 to 73.1% in January 2022 (up 3.7% or 2.6 percentage points).

The labor force participation rate for working-age people with disabilities increased from 32.8% in January 2021 to 37.5% in January 2022 (up 14.3% or 4.7 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the labor force participation rate also increased slightly from 75.5% in January 2021 to 76.4% in January 2022 (up 1.2% or 0.9 percentage points).

In January 2022, among workers ages 16-64, the 5,439,000 workers with disabilities represented 3.7% of the total 145,345,000 workers in the U.S.

[Source(s): Kessler Foundation, EurekAlert]