Unemployment rate decreases among those with disabilities

June 27, 2018

The unemployment rate for people with disabilities decreased last year, falling from 10.5 percent in 2016 to 9.2 percent in 2017, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

“This is a significant decline,” said BLS economist Janie-Lynn Kang. “The decline reflects the trend in the overall labor force, which has been recovering since the end of the Great Recession.” In fact, the overall U.S. unemployment rate fell to 3.8 percent in May 2018—the lowest since April 2000.

Almost one-third (32 percent) of workers with a disability were employed part-time—more so than those without a disability.

The BLS shared some specific highlights from the 2017 data:

  • Nearly half of all persons with a disability were age 65 and over, three times larger than the share of those with no disability
  • Across all age groups, the employment-population ratios were much lower for persons with a disability than for those with no disability
  • Unemployment rates for persons with a disability were higher than for persons without a disability across all educational attainment groups
  • In 2017, 32 percent of workers with a disability were employed part time, compared with 17 percent for those with no disability
  • Employed persons with a disability were more likely to be self-employed than those with no disability

With unemployment at a low, fewer people are looking for jobs. Many employers are having a hard time finding people qualified to fill the positions they have open. That’s left an opening for people with disabilities, a group that’s broadly defined under the Americans With Disabilities Act, according to CNN.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) offers tips on making reasonable accommodations for job applicants and workers who have disabilities. Take a look here.

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