Job numbers improved for people with disabilities, whose engagement with the labor market surpassed their pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, according to the National Trends in Disability Employment – Monthly Update (nTIDE) for September, issued by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability (UNH-IOD).
Their gains contrast with those of people without disabilities, whose job numbers have yet to reach pre-pandemic levels.
nTIDE COVID Update
According to the recently released Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Jobs Report, the labor force participation rate for working-age people with disabilities increased from 35.6% in August 2021 to 36.4% in September 2021 (up 2.2% or 0.8 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the labor force participation rate decreased from 76.8% in August to 76.5% in September 2021 (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.
“People with disabilities appear to be recovering faster than people without disabilities. In fact, their labor market engagement is now surpassing their pre-pandemic levels,” Andrew Houtenville, PhD, professor of economics and the research director of the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability, emphasizes. “This is very good news!”
The employment-to-population ratio for working-age people with disabilities increased from 31.5% in August 2021 to 32.9% in September 2021 (up 4.4% or 1.4 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the employment-to-population ratio increased, albeit slightly, from 72.9% in August 2021 to 73.1% in September 2021 (up 0.3% or 0.2 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).
“For the second consecutive month, we have seen improvement in the employment-to-population ratio for people with disabilities. This bright spot shows continued resilience among people with disabilities in the labor market. If the COVID Delta variant wanes and vaccination rates increase, we may continue to see improvement.”
— John O’Neill, PhD, director of the Center for Employment and Disability Research at Kessler Foundation
Year-to-Year nTIDE Numbers
The employment-to-population ratio for working-age people with disabilities increased from 28.3% in September 2020 to 32.9% in September 2021 (up 16.3% or 4.6 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the employment-to-population ratio also increased from 70.0% in September 2020 to 73.1% in September 2021 (up 4.4% or 3.1 percentage points).
The labor force participation rate for working-age people with disabilities increased from 32.7% in September 2020 to 36.4% in September 2021 (up 11.3% or 3.7 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the labor force participation rate also increased from 75.7% in September 2020 to 76.5% in September 2021 (up 1.1% or 0.8 percentage points).
In September 2021, among workers ages 16-64, the 5,244,000 workers with disabilities represented 3.7% of the total 143,536,000 workers in the US.
NOTE: The statistics in the nTIDE are based on Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers but are not identical. They are customized by UNH to combine the statistics for men and women of working age (16 to 64). nTIDE is funded, in part, by grants from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) (90RT5037) and Kessler Foundation.
[Source(s): Kessler Foundation, EurekAlert]
Related Content:
nTIDE August 2021 Jobs Report: Job Numbers Show Resilience
July 2021 nTIDE: Employment Slows as COVID Pandemic Restrictions Loom
June 2021 nTIDE: Job Numbers Close in on Pre-Pandemic Levels
