New data has shown that, last year, the pay gap between people with disabilities and those without grew.
The Office for National Statistics revealed that the average employee with a disability was paid 13.8% less than their peers in 2021. It was a small increase from 13.5% the year before, and the pay gap was nearly a fifth wider – or 2.1 percentage points – than it had been in 2014.
Disabled workers were among the hardest hit during the pandemic. And now millions of disabled workers face a living standards emergency.
Trades Union Congress general secretary Frances O’Grady said the Government should force companies with more than 50 staff to publish their disability pay gaps. She also called for funding for the Equality and Human Rights Commission to help it enforce the rights that workers with disabilities have to expect their employer to make reasonable adjustments quickly and effectively.
“Disabled workers deserve better. It’s time for big employers to be forced to publish their disability pay gaps, to help shine a light on poor workplace practices that fuel inequality at work,” O’Grady said.
Despite lingering inequalities, disabled individuals have a lot to offer the workplace. Getting the right education is the best first step to gaining the confidence and knowledge needed for such roles.
