A man in a black wheelchair, in front of an audience. He has a microphone in his right hand and his holding up to his mouth. He is speaking to the audience in front of him. He is wearing a white shirt and black trousers, which held up by black braces. He is in full focus and the audience are blurred in the foreground.

Employment

Wednesday 7 October 2020, 1pm - 2pm

This event is fully booked
Next Spring, the government will publish its National Disability Strategy. The Conservative Party pledged to create a strategy in its 2019 Election Manifesto.
 
We want to make sure that the government hears the voices of disabled people, including those they don’t normally hear from. Our autumn programme of roundtable events are your opportunity to have your say on a range of issues. We will be collating what you tell us into a submission to government, as well as to influence our work as the UK’s leading national disabled persons’ user-led organisation.
 
Disabled people face significant barriers in finding jobs and keeping jobs. While the disability employment gap has decreased slightly over the past decade, disabled people are much less likely than non-disabled people to have a paid job, and disabled people who are working earn much less than non-disabled people, on average. According to the most recent figures from the Office of National Statistics, just over half (53.6%) of disabled people were employed, compared to more than four out of five (81.7%) non-disabled people. Disabled people are also much more likely to be unemployed (meaning not in work but looking for work) or classed as economically inactive (not in work and not looking for work) than non-disabled people.
 
We don't yet know what the long-term impact of COVID-19 will be on disabled people's employment. The increase in home working and flexible work has already benefited many disabled people, but hospitality and tourism - a huge sector where an above-average proportion of the workforce is disabled - has suffered many job losses and looks likely to suffer even more.

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