Chances of employment ‘varies significantly’ depending on type of disability

The inclusion in the workplace of disabled people varies greatly depending on the type of disability from which they suffer, new figures show.

According to data released by the Office for National Statistics, 45.6 per cent of people aged 16 to 64 with a disability that limits their daily activities, known as DDA disabled, were in work in 2011, compared to 76.2 per cent for those without a disability.

However, the figures revealed that the employment rate was vastly different for those with different types of disabilities.

Employment rates were highest among those with skin conditions, disfigurements or allergies at 71.9 per cent, followed by those with diabetes (61.5 per cent) and sufferers of heart, blood pressure or circulatory problems (57.8 per cent).

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At the other end of the scale, just 12 per cent of those with severe learning difficulties were in employment this year, while those suffering from mental illnesses or nervous disorders (14.2 per cent) and depression or anxiety (27.2 per cent) were also among the least likely to be in work.

Approximately 11 per cent of employed DDA disabled people were in jobs requiring low levels of skill, the same percentage as without a disability.

However, the percentage of disabled workers who were in jobs needing high or upper-middle skills was slightly lower than those who are not disabled at 49 per cent compared with 55 per cent.

Meanwhile, last week saw the release of a new survey by BT which suggested that attitudes towards disabled people in the UK have hardened since the recession.

Of those polled, a third demonstrated hardened negative attitudes towards disabled people, with reasons cited for this ranging from disabled people being seen as a burden on society (38 per cent), ill feeling around the perceived extra support given to disabled people (28 per cent), and the personal worries and sensitivities which rise to the fore during a recession (79 per cent).

Nevertheless, 85 per cent of people said that their employers could do more to create greater employment opportunities and career progression for disabled people.