Did you know, in the US October has been declared as National Disability Employment Awareness Month since 1988? With this in mind, 6 months on since large UK companies were legally obliged to publish their gender pay gap data, diversity in the workplace has been hotly debated like never before. With reports revealing that men are paid more, on average, than women in almost all workplaces, UK businesses may be forced to declare data covering ethnicity pay gaps next. Whilst this is refreshing in the current climate, we long for the day when the inequality of employing Britain’s disabled population is properly addressed.
Although the Department of Work and Pensions claim that 600,000 more disabled people have gained access into work over the last 4 years, this is eclipsed by the startling fact that the disability employment gap has barely changed in a decade. It’s also important to acknowledge that whilst 77% of employers state that ensuring workforce diversity is a priority to them, only 44% actually record or collect data on whether staff are disabled; with over half stating this is due to the collection of such data being “too intrusive and onerous.”
As this diversity issue continues to remain in the background, we hope the following facts and figures draw more attention to the UK’s widening disability employment gap:
- Disabled people are twice as likely to be unemployed than non-disabled people
- 4.2 million disabled people are living in poverty
- Only 49.2% of working-age disabled people are employed
- Just 6% of adults with learning difficulties are in some form of paid employment
- 48% of disabled people have worried about sharing information about their impairment or condition with their employer
- Just 3% of UK employers measure their disability pay gaps
- Only 45% of employers understand clearly what it means to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people under the Equality Act 2010.
Which sectors have the most disabled workers?
An overview of Britain’s disabled workforce shows that the top 3 occupations with the highest numbers of disabled workers are sales and retail assistants, cleaners and domestics and care workers and home carers. It also reveals that the top 3 industries with the highest numbers of disabled workers are hospital activities, retail sale in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating and public administration and defence; compulsory social security.
What sets us apart from other door manufacturers?
At Shelforce we continue to break down barriers into work for disabled people located in the West Midlands, proudly supporting a thriving company culture based on learning and key skill development amongst our diverse workforce.
Job websites for disabled people
If you’re looking to get back into work, or maybe you’re searching for a disabled family member or friend, there are some job sites that have been specifically designed to support disabled people into work. These include:
Employment diversity champions of the door manufacturing industry
Energetic advocates of helping more disabled people into the workplace, we hope more employers in the UK begin to see the benefits of employing disabled people; especially in the fenestration and construction industries. If you’re interested in working in the door manufacturing industry, get in touch with the Shelforce team today.
Related to this post: Embracing disability in the workplace – Why we thrive with a diverse workforce
