Despite recent declines in economic indicators, people with disabilities remained engaged in the labor force, according to National Trends in Disability Employment – Monthly Update (nTIDE), issued by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability (UNH-IOD).
In the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Jobs Report released Friday, the employment-to-population ratio for working-age people with disabilities increased slightly from 29.1 percent in November to 29.4 percent in December 2020 (up 1 percent or 0.3 percentage points).
For working-age people without disabilities, the employment-to-population ratio decreased from 71.1 percent in November to 70.9 percent in December 2020 (down 0.3 percent or 0.2 percentage points). 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).
“In December, we saw a modest increase in the employment-to-population ratio even as COVID-19 infections surged following Thanksgiving gatherings,” said John O’Neill, PhD, director of the Center for Employment and Disability Research at Kessler Foundation.
“We may see improvement in the employment-to-population ratio in coming months as the stimulus bill kicks in and the vaccine becomes more widely available,” he added.
The labor force participation rate for working-age people with disabilities decreased from 33.6 percent in November to 33.2 percent in December 2020 (down 1.2 percent or 0.4 percentage points). The labor force participation rate for working-age people without disabilities also decreased from 75.9 percent in November to 75.7 percent in December 2020 (down 0.3 percent or 0.2 percentage points). The labor force participation rate represents the working population not working and on temporary layoff or not working and actively looking for work.
“For people with disabilities, the labor force participation rate showed a small decline compared to last month,” noted economist Andrew Houtenville, PhD, research director of the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability. “Throughout the pandemic, we have seen people with disabilities staying engaged in the workforce by either working, actively looking for work, or still expecting to be recalled. The decline in December may reflect the reinstatement of restrictions to stop the increasing spread of COVID-19.”
