The latest statistics from Public Health England (PHE) show that 94.4% working-age adults with learning disabilities are without paid jobs nationwide.
Although neurodiverse talent in the workplace has been found to offer companies a competitive advantage, the latest PHE figures show that the majority remain jobless. Just one in 20 supported working-age adults with a learning disability (5.6%) are now in paid employment in England. The employment gap between those with learning disabilities and the wider population has reached record highs; and experts are calling on local government and HR departments to offer increased support for neurodiversity in the workplace.
Additionally, the number of supported adults with learning disabilities in paid employment fell by 87% in some areas during the pandemic, confirmed the latest PHE data. In some local authorities in England, just 0.4% of people with learning disabilities are in paid employment.
STARK STATISTICS
The areas with the biggest year-on-year drops in paid learning disability employment are Gloucestershire (-87%), Harrow (-81%), Essex (-69%), Stockport (-55%) and Barking & Dagenham (-52%). Gloucestershire has the lowest employment rate of those with learning disabilities at just 0.4%; meaning almost total unemployment for these individuals in the county.
The data, collated from PHE by learning disability nurse recruitment specialists MCG Healthcare, highlights the regions where people with learning disabilities need greater assistance following the pandemic. The figures have prompted experts to call for employers and local authorities to assess the accessibility of online recruitment processes, home working practices and mental health support.
The average UK employment rate in June 2021 was 75.1%, compared to 5.6% for learning disability adults; bringing the problem into sharp focus. With the jobs market picking up swiftly, organisations nationwide are being urged to support candidates with learning disabilities, wherever possible.
“Even though the market appears to be improving now, the pandemic has obviously left many people unemployed. For people with learning disabilities though, losing a job – or being unable to find one – can severely dent confidence; and deprive individuals of chances to make personal progress. It’s about much more than money,” stated Ash Higgs, Director of MCG Healthcare. “Our nurses see, at first hand, just how fulfilled some people with learning disabilities are by their jobs. We aim to give people as much independence as possible; and work plays a huge part in that, giving people a sense of control and achievement.”
ACCESSING NEURODIVERSE TALENT
So how can companies make themselves more accessible for neurodiverse talent? Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, part-time employment, which provides crucial entry-level employment, has declined almost 10%. For many, this comes at a time when care charges are rising; by more than £500 in two years in some places, according to a recent freedom of information request by the BBC.
“Some of the challenges really show up in the recruitment process. Shifting everything online – especially for our community, who live with ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, learning differences and disabilities that show when processing information – it’s been particularly difficult for them,” pointed out Matt Boyd, Founder of neurodiverse recruitment agency Exceptional Individuals. “The challenges have definitely become more prominent since the pandemic, there’s a lot more anxiety. People with neurodiversities and learning disabilities are more likely to have mental health problems anyway; and the pandemic has just added to that.”
NEURODIVERSITY BENEFITS
“Having a neurodiverse community within your organisation, they’ll find different solutions to problems, different ways of doing things. But additionally, they’ll represent a section of your customer base; since they’d be the one buying your products a lot of the time,” added Boyd. “They can give you the point of view of the 10% of the population who have learning disabilities or neurodivergence; which is an absolutely massive benefit.”
For some people with learning disabilities, the increase in home working may be a disadvantage. “It potentially leads to the individual having less in-person support; and it may limit the ways in which the individual can be coached or instructed on a task. We all have learning preferences, but for someone with a learning disability, they may have less flexibility about how they can receive instructions and information and still be able to effectively carry out a task,” highlighted Sheryl Miller, Diversity & Inclusivity Consultant and author of Smashing Stereotypes: How To Get Ahead When You’re the Only _____ in the Room.
Home-working, therefore, “may limit the ways in which messages can be communicated unless managers and colleagues are very creative”, pointed out Miller. “They may also have a preference for routines and set places which the pandemic may have disrupted. People are more aware of neurodiversity than they were before. With additional training, or self-learning, they are starting to become more aware of the additional support that may be required for someone whose neurodiversity creates particular challenges.”
For more resources about people with learning disabilities, check out the Turning Point, the British Institute of Learning Disabilities (BILD), Exceptional Individuals, and MCG Healthcare websites.
A recent survey revealed that 50% of UK’s employers admit that they would not employ someone who had one or more neurodivergent condition. Click here to read more.
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