Kessler Foundation recently highlighted the latest Trends in Disability Employment—National Monthly Mobility Update (TIDE), which indicates that when compared to last year’s data, a smaller percentage of individuals with disabilities are working and fewer are participating in the workforce, with a higher percentage looking for work. Kessler Foundation recently highlighted the latest Trends in Disability Employment—National Monthly Mobility Update (TIDE), which indicates that when compared to last year’s data, a smaller percentage of individuals with disabilities are working and fewer are participating in the workforce, with a higher percentage looking for work.
Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability (UNH-IOD) issue the TIDE report. A news release from the Foundation notes that in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ “first-Friday” data released September 6, the employment-to-population ratio decreased from 27% in August 2012 to 26.4% in August 2013 for working-age individuals with disabilities.
Andrew Houtenville, PhD, UNH-IOD, associate professor of Economics, states in the release that the change suggests a lesser proportion of individuals with disabilities are working, which correlates with the August TIDE report. “This was not true for people without disabilities,” Houtenville points out.
The results indicate that for individuals without disabilities, the employment-to-population ratio increased from 70.5% in August 2012 to 71% in August 2013, the Foundation notes. The employment-to-population ratio reflects the percentage of individuals who are working relative to the total population. The Foundation also calls the labor force participation rate results “disappointing” for individuals with disabilities. The results suggest the rate decreased from 31.9% in August 2012 to 31.4% in August 2013.The labor force participation rate is the percentage of individuals who are working or actively looking for work.
Individuals without disabilities reportedly exhibited a slight decrease, from 76.6% to 76.5%.
“Fewer people with disabilities are engaged in the labor force, which is discouraging,” John O’Neill, PhD, Kessler Foundation’s director of Employment and Disability Research, says.
According to the release, the percent actively seeking work increased slightly for individuals with disabilities, rising from 4.8% in August 2012 to 5% in August 2013. Houtenville explains that the results reflect that some individuals with disabilities that are losing their jobs are seeking work, effectively having to re-enter the labor force.
Individuals without disabilities looking for work exhibited a decreased percentage in contrast, from 6.2% in August 2012 to 5.5% in August 2013. The percent looking for work, the Foundation says, reflects the percentage of individuals who are looking for work relative to the total population.
The release states that the next TIDE Update will be issued October 4, 2013.
Source: Kessler Foundation
