Source · Select Committees · Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 3
3
We recommend that the Government adopt a target with two elements: closing the disability employment...
Recommendation
We recommend that the Government adopt a target with two elements: closing the disability employment gap and increasing the number of disabled people in work. It should re-adopt its previous target of halving the disability employment gap. Alongside this, it should adopt a new, more ambitious absolute target aimed at increasing the number of disabled people in work, as its current target is not sufficiently stretching. At today’s employment levels, halving the disability employment gap would mean that around 1.2 million more disabled people need to be in work (assuming that the number of non-disabled people in work stays roughly the same). The Government should adopt this as its absolute target, which it should aim to achieve by 2027. We were disappointed to find that the Green Paper on health and disability support does not make any reference to a new target. The Government must use its National Strategy for Disabled People to set out its plans to adopt—and achieve—a more ambitious target instead. (Paragraph 23) Disability employment gap 71
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The ONS published information on outcomes for disabled people across areas of life: education, employment, social participation, housing, well-being, loneliness, and crime in February 2021. Outcomes for disabled people in the UK - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk) This gave employment rates of disabled people by main impairment, which included people with autism. The data was derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and is intended to be updated annually. The ONS have also published information on the prevalence and economic activity of those with autism, among those who have a long-term health condition, by age, again derived from the LFS. Autism prevalence, UK, 2020 - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk) DWP/DHSC also publish annual statistics on the employment of disabled people. These include breakdowns by main health condition, which are derived from the LFS and will include autism for the first time when they are updated later this year. The employment of disabled people 2019 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)