1.3 million disabled employees are trapped in severely insecure work within the UK

Recent research by the Work Foundation at Lancaster University reveals 1.3 million disabled employees are trapped in severely insecure work within the UK – and 430,000 say they need to work more hours.

Disabled employees are 1.5 times more more likely to be in severely insecure work in comparison with their non-disabled peers and usually tend to be in ‘involuntary temporary work’ – meaning they would like to be on everlasting contracts.

The brand new report is predicated on the newest wave of study from the Work Foundation’s UK Insecure Work Index, first launched last yr give a transparent picture of the steadiness of the labor market. Defining ‘insecure work’ as roles which have unpredictable pay, no guarantee of set hours or future work, and no access to employment rights and protections; the think tank uses a single measure to reflect these three dimensions, based on evaluation of 20 years’ of ONS Labour Force data.

Its most up-to-date evaluation hones in on the precise experiences of disabled employees, based on data captured within the ONS Labour Force Survey April – June 2022.

Ben Harrison, Director of the Work Foundation, said: “The UK economy is under pressure. Our labor market continues to carry record numbers of vacancies and the numbers of employees on long-term sick is at record levels – yet structural inequalities remain, stopping many groups of employees from accessing the great quality work they deserve.

“While the Government’s pledge back in 2017 to get ‘a million more disabled people back into work inside a decade’ can have been achieved five years early –research shows the strategy of pushing them into ‘any work’ quite than quality, secure work risks not only employees’ health, but additionally that of the broader economy.

“Having a foul experience or feeling trapped in severely insecure work can worsen their conditions – or can push them to depart the labor market altogether.”

Data shows disabled individuals are over-represented in lower paid, more precarious work and usually tend to work part-time than non-disabled employees. While a shorter working week could also be a private alternative to assist manage health conditions or caring responsibilities for some, 10% of disabled employees (430,000) say they would love to work more hours, in comparison with 7% of non-disabled employees.

Evaluation also reveals:

• Disabled employees are less more likely to be with the identical employer for greater than two years, which suggests they’re missing out on key rights and protections, similar to access to redundancy pay
• Disabled employees are more likely be self-employed due to the barriers they face to find employment. 13% of disabled people (450,000) are self-employed in comparison with 9% of non-disabled people and are less more likely to access to the rights and protections that include contracted employment
• Disabled women face a dual drawback and are roughly 2.2 times more more likely to be in severely insecure work than disabled men
• Disabled employees from ethnic minority backgrounds usually tend to be in severely insecure work relative to white disabled employees (29% vs 26%)
• One in three autistic employees (38%) and 1 / 4 of individuals with mental health conditions (28%) are in severely insecure work, in comparison with 20% with other disabilities and conditions
• Disabled employees are less more likely to have access to flexible working arrangements as they usually tend to be in ‘routine and semi-routine occupations’ (e.g. cashiers, bricklayers and waiters) where flexible working is less common. Disabled employees are less more likely to be in skilled and managerial work.

Nearly 1 / 4 of working adults at the moment are disabled (23%) and over the past ten years, the employment rate for disabled people has been roughly 30 percentage points lower than non-disabled people.

“Recent research suggests a disabled household needs an extra £1,122 a month to have the identical standard as living as a non-disabled household – so the cost-of-living crisis is disproportionately impacting disabled employees,” Ben Harrison continues.

“Supporting those with long run health conditions who need to work more hours to achieve this could provide a major boost to the labor market, but the present support from Government and employers is failing them – including those on long-term sick.

“We’d like refreshed, robust policies in place to guard disabled employees’ employment rights – and ensure the suitable levels of support in place from day one in every of an individual entering a workplace. A greater, more in-depth understanding of what is required to support those on long-term sick back into work can be vital if we’re to see any meaningful change.”

Disabled individuals are an asset to the workplace. Our lived experience often makes us fiercely driven, agile and adept problem solvers, with great interpersonal skills, and incisive insight into the business habits of the UK’s Disabled population. A fifth of the people within the UK are Disabled. The purple pound within the UK is value £2.74 billion. So long as employers proceed to erroneously see us as a liability to the sick leave bill quite than strong assets in a various workforce, they’re missing out on improved working culture and practices, diverse market growth and ultimately, profit.”

Fazilet Hadi, Head of Policy, Disability Rights UK

The Work Foundation calls for an ambitious and transformative approach from Government and employers to tackle the incapacity insecurity gap and genuinely overcome structural inequalities within the labor market.

The report’s recommendations include the introduction of wide-spread flexibility in roles; an Employment Bill to shift the onus onto organizations to prove a employee shouldn’t be eligible for employment rights and protections; to guard disabled profit claimants from conditionality for the primary 6 months and include those with short-term health conditions.