Modest rises in the economic indicators for people with and without disabilities may be signs of continued economic recovery, according to today’s National Trends in Disability Employment. As the impact of the pandemic subsides in the U.S. and economic activity increases, improvements in these indicators are likely to continue.
nTIDE June 2021 Jobs Report: Slow improvement as economy strives for recovery
National Trends in Disability Employment (nTIDE) – issued semi-monthly by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire
Durham, NH – July 2, 2021 – Modest rises in the economic indicators for people with and without disabilities may be signs of continued economic recovery, according to today’s National Trends in Disability Employment – Monthly Update (nTIDE), issued by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability (UNH-IOD). As the impact of the pandemic subsides in the U.S. and economic activity increases, improvements in these indicators are likely to continue.
nTIDE COVID Update (month-to-month comparison)
In the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Jobs Report released Friday, the employment-to-population ratio for working-age people with disabilities increased from 30.4 percent in May to 31.5 percent in June 2021 (up 3.6 percent or 1.1 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the employment-to-population ratio also increased from 72.2 percent in May to 72.6 percent in June 2021 (up 0.6 percent or 0.4 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).
“These numbers are very close to pre-Pandemic levels. The employment-to-population ratio was 31.7 percent in March 2020. We are just only 0.2 percentage points away,” said economist Andrew Houtenville, PhD, research director of the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability. “Hopefully, this level employment will be maintaining and, even better, exceeded in the coming months.” he added.
The labor force participation rate for working-age people with disabilities increased from 34.2 percent in May to 35.4 percent in June 2021 (up 3.5 percent or 1.2 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the labor force participation rate also increased from 76.3 percent in May to 77.2 percent in June 2021 (up 1.2 percent or 0.9 percentage points). The labor force participation rate is the percentage of the population that is working, not working and on temporary layoff, or not working and actively looking for work.
“The labor force participation of people with disabilities is now higher than it was prior to the Pandemic. It has been a bright spot during the Pandemic, as people with disabilities, perhaps out of necessity, remained engaged in the labor market,” said John O’Neill, PhD, director of the Center for Employment and Disability Research at Kessler Foundation. “The last time we saw labor force participation at this level was July 2009, ” he added.
Year-to-Year nTIDE Numbers (comparison to the same time last year)
The employment-to-population ratio for working-age people with disabilities increased from 28.4 percent in June 2020 to 31.5 percent in June 2021 (up 10.9 percent or 3.1 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the employment-to-population ratio also increased from 67.7 percent in June 2020 to 72.6 percent in June 2021 (up 7.2 percent or 4.9 percentage points).
The labor force participation rate for working-age people with disabilities increased from 34.4 percent in June 2020 to 35.4 percent in June 2021 (up 2.9 percent or 1 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the labor force participation rate also increased from 76.2 percent in June 2020 to 77.2 percent in June 2021 (up 1.3 percent or 1 percentage points).
In June 2021, among workers ages 16-64, the 5,046,000 workers with disabilities represented 3.5 percent of the total 142,462,000 workers in the U.S.
Ask Questions about Disability and Employment
Join our nTIDE Lunch & Learn series today, July 2, at 12:00 pm Eastern. This live broadcast, hosted via Zoom Webinar, offers attendees Q&A on the latest nTIDE findings, provides news and updates from the field, as well as invited panelists to discuss current disability-related findings and events. Today, Kathleen West-Evans from the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR) joins Drs. Houtenville and O’Neill, and Denise Rozell, Policy Strategist at AUCD. Join live or watch the recordings at: ResearchonDisability.org/nTIDE.
nTIDE COVID Update – Friday, July 23 at 12:00 pm Eastern
Stay tuned for our mid-month update about the employment of people with disabilities as we follow the impact of COVID-19 and look at the numbers in more detail.