image: This graphic compares the labor market indicators for November 2022 and December 2022 showing increases in the employment-to-population ratio and labor force participation rate for people with disabilities, while these indicators remained flat for people without disabilities. view more
Credit: Kessler Foundation
East Hanover, NJ – January 6, 2023 – Persistent efforts to cool the economy had no effect on jobseekers with disabilities, who continued to find jobs in December, according to today’s National Trends in Disability Employment – Monthly Update (nTIDE), issued by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability (UNH-IOD). Job numbers were flat for people without disabilities, however, which may be a sign that they are being disproportionately affected by measures aimed at controlling inflation.
Month-to-Month nTIDE Numbers (comparing November 2022 to December 2022)
Based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Jobs Report released today, the employment-to-population ratio for people with disabilities (ages 16-64) increased from 36.5 percent in November to 37.0 percent in December (up 1.4 percent or 0.5 percentage points). In contrast, for people without disabilities (ages 16-64), the employment-to-population ratio was unchanged at 74.4 percent. 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).
“The employment-to-population ratio for people with disabilities continues to surge, extending the gains of the last four months,” said John O’Neill, PhD, director of the Center for Employment and Disability Research at Kessler Foundation. “This is significant considering that those without disabilities continue to underperform in the labor market.”
Findings were similar for December’s labor force participation rate. For people with disabilities (ages 16-64), the labor force participation rate was increased slightly from 38.8 percent in November to 39.0 percent in December (up 0.2 percent or 0.2 percentage points). For people without disabilities (ages 16-64), the labor force participation rate was unchanged, at 76.9 percent.
“People with disabilities looking for jobs are finding jobs, as evidenced by the increase in the employment-to-population ratio and the stable labor force participation rate,” remarked Andrew Houtenville, PhD, professor of economics and research director of the UNH-IOD.
Interested in why have people with disabilities have been outperforming people without disabilities? Tune in to our January 20, 2023, nTIDE Lunch & Learn webinar, when our experts will analyze 2022 trends in their nTIDE Year in Review. Register here: https://unh.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Lft8fgPjRumXWG-F9sC0gQ
Drs. Houtenville and O’Neill will reference our latest employment survey, which compares the workplaces of 2017 and 2022, revealing gains in recruiting, hiring, accommodating, and retaining employees with disabilities. Learn more: 2022 National Employment & Disability Survey: Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic Supervisor Perspectives.
Year-to-Year nTIDE Numbers (Comparing December 2021 to December 2022)
At the close of 2022, the job numbers continue to show the ongoing strength of people with disabilities. The employment-to-population ratio for people with disabilities (ages 16-64) increased from 33.6 percent in December to 37.0 percent in December (up 10.1 percent or 3.4 percentage points). For people without disabilities (ages 16-64), the employment-to-population ratio also increased from 73.9 percent in December to 74.4 percent in December (up 0.7 percent or 0.5 percentage points).
Similarly, for people with disabilities (16-64), the labor force participation rate increased from 36.7 percent in December to 39 percent in December (up 6.3 percent or 2.3 percentage points). For people without disabilities (ages 16-64), the labor force participation rate also increased from 76.6 percent in December to 76.9 percent in December (up 0.4 percent or 0.3 percentage points).
In December, among workers ages 16-64, the 6,050,000 workers with disabilities represented 4.1 percent of the total 148,052,000 workers in the U.S.
Ask Questions about Disability and Employment
Each nTIDE release is followed by an nTIDE Lunch & Learn online webinar. This live broadcast, hosted via Zoom Webinar, offers attendees Q&A on the latest nTIDE findings, provides news and updates from the field, as well as invited panelists to discuss current disability-related findings and events. On January 6, 2023 at 12:00 pm Eastern, Felicia M. Nurmsen, managing director of employer services for the National Organization on Disability, joins Drs. O’Neill and Houtenville, and Denise Rozell, Policy Strategist at the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD). Join our Lunch & Learns live or visit the nTIDE archives at: ResearchonDisability.org/nTIDE.
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.
About the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire
The Institute on Disability (IOD) at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) was established in 1987 to provide a university-based focus for the improvement of knowledge, policies, and practices related to the lives of persons with disabilities and their families. For information on the NIDILRR-funded Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics, visit ResearchOnDisability.org.
About Kessler Foundation
Kessler Foundation, a major nonprofit organization in the field of disability, is a global leader in rehabilitation research that seeks to improve cognition, mobility, and long-term outcomes – including employment – for people with neurological disabilities caused by diseases and injuries of the brain and spinal cord. Kessler Foundation leads the nation in funding innovative programs that expand opportunities for employment for people with disabilities. For more information, visit KesslerFoundation.org.
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To interview an expert, contact:
Deborah Hauss, DHauss@kesslerfoundation.org;
Carolann Murphy, CMurphy@KesslerFoundation.org.