Over 1 Million Disabled People in UK Denied Opportunity To Work

Over one million people with a disability in the UK who can and want to work, are still being denied job opportunities, according to a new study.

Interestingly, around half of UK business leaders believe there aren’t enough candidates with a disability, despite over one million disabled people wanting to work, according to a new survey from the Valuable 500. Additionally, the research showed that almost two thirds (63%) of businesses didn’t know how many people within their organisation identify as disabled.

The research from global business collective the Valuable 500 showed that almost half of UK businesses believe that a key barrier to the recruitment and retention of disabled employees is the lack of candidates. This contrasts with evidence from government figures showing that there are one million disabled people in the UK who can and want to work; but are being denied the opportunity. 

MISCONCEPTIONS & TABOOS AROUND DISABILITY

The data, from Virgin Media and Scope, supported by an Opinium survey of 2,000 disabled people, found that when applying for jobs only half of the applications result in an interview, compared with 69% for non-disabled applicants.

The research also highlighted how misconceptions, lack of representation and taboos are still playing a huge role in recruitment policies. Last year’s government figures show that the disability employment gap sits at 28.4%; a decrease year on the year by just 0.7%. This shows a clear need for a shift away from misconceptions in recruitment.

The research attributes lack of job candidates to lack of representation of disability inclusion. “It is often a forgotten aspect in the broader business agenda – particularly when it comes to business leadership where just 4% of CEOs have a disclosed disability,” the research noted.

LACK OF DISABILITY INCLUSION

Disabled people bring immense contribution to business and society as a whole, making up 15% of the global population, they bring diversity of thought, lived experience and a wealth of talent, all vital for business sustainability. “18% of the UK population have a disability and they need to be seen and heard,” stressed Caroline Casey, Founder of the Valuable 500. “But more than this – we need to strive to fundamentally transform the global business system and fight for an inclusive society.  At some point in our lives, every single one of us will experience disability and we all have a responsibility to make humanity function better.”

As we enter 2022, “employers need to ensure that disability inclusion is at the heart of their agendas”, added Casey. “What the research shows us today, is that whilst many companies are striving to do just this, we still have a lack of representation and businesses still have a long way to shift the dial truly and irreversibly on disability inclusion.”

CLOSING DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT GAP

Paul Polman, Chairman of the Valuable 500, agreed: “Having a diverse and inclusive workforce is a powerful driver for improved company performance, and this must extend to including people with disabilities. It’s not only the right thing to do, but also the smart and profitable thing to do for any business leaders looking to unlock talent, boost innovation and build a culture of trust, respect and inclusion throughout the company. We’ve seen progress in recent years as the biggest business groups across the globe have signed up to disability inclusion commitments through the Valuable 500. 2022 must bring faster action to close the disability employment gap once and for all.”

Companies like Adecco are doing just that. “At Adecco, we intend to make the future work for everyone, and we really mean it. We have developed a sound culture of inclusion that enforces integration in the workplace for persons with disabilities across all our markets,” explained Adecco President Christophe Catoir. “With perseverance, we demonstrate every day that persons with disabilities are reliable, skilled and talented individuals with the potential to belong fully to the world of work in all industries and types of positions.”

Since reaching the goal of 500 organisations in May 2021, the Valuable 500 has launched phase 2 of the campaign and it has received the largest ever investment into disability business inclusion, with The Nippon Foundation investing $5 million to catalyse new Valuable 500 initiatives, as reported.

Employees with disabilities worldwide feel overlooked and ignored, according to a recent survey. Click here to read more.