The end of remote work driven by the pandemic helped the employment rate for people with disabilities to reach its highest level in the past year.
The percentage of people with disabilities working will increase to 21.3% in 2022, according to data released Thursday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is more than a two percentage point increase from 2021 and the most since 2008, when similar data were first published.
The unemployment rate for people with disabilities fell last year along with the national average. And while the labor force participation rate has increased for people with disabilities, it has increased three times as much for people without disabilities.
Everyday tasks such as commuting and navigating the office space can be difficult for people depending on their disability. As companies implement remote and hybrid work arrangements, more disabled people are applying for and getting jobs – sometimes for the first time in years.
A new push by companies asking workers to return to the office could threaten benefits earned by people with disabilities, who make up about 12% of the population, according to the BLS. A report by consulting firm McKinsey & Co. published last June approximately 35% of companies offer a very remote option.
Overall, people with disabilities are still less likely to be employed than their non-disabled counterparts, and they are twice as likely to be employed part-time, the BLS report said. They are also more likely to be self-employed.
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