New analysis published by the TUC shows that non-disabled workers now earn a sixth (17.2%) more than disabled workers.

The analysis found that the pay gap for disabled workers currently stands at £2.05 an hour – or £3,731 per year for someone working a 35-hour week.

This pay gap – which has increased from 16.5 percent last year – means that disabled people effectively work for free for the last 54 days of the year and stop getting paid today, on the day the TUC has branded Disability Pay Gap Day. 

Disability pay gap by gender and age

The new TUC analysis reveals that disabled women face the biggest pay gap. Non-disabled men are paid on average 35 percent (£3.93 an hour, or £7,144 a year) more than disabled women.

The research also shows that the disability pay gap persists for workers throughout their careers. It starts at age 20 at 65p an hour and increases steadily with age to a peak of £3.55 an hour, or £6,461 a year, for disabled workers aged 40 to 44.

Regional and industrial disability pay gaps

The analysis looked at pay data from across the country and found disability pay gaps in every region of England.

The highest pay gaps are in the South East (22% or £2.78 an hour), and the West Midlands and the South West (both 17% or £2.20 an hour).

The research found that disability pay gaps also vary by industry. The biggest pay gap is in financial and industrial services, where the pay gap stands at 39 percent or £5.90 an hour, followed by agriculture, forestry and fishing (24%) and mining and quarrying and admin and support services (both 18%).

Unemployment

Not only are disabled workers paid less than non-disabled workers, they are also more likely to be excluded from the job market.

Disabled workers are now twice as likely as non-disabled workers to be unemployed (6.8% compared to 3.4%). 

And the analysis shows disabled BME workers face a much tougher labour market – 10.9 percent of BME disabled workers are unemployed compared to 2.8 percent of white non-disabled workers.

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: 

“Everybody deserves a fair chance to get a job with decent pay. Being disabled should not mean you’re on a lower wage – or that you’re excluded from the jobs market altogether. 

“It’s time to introduce mandatory disability pay gap reporting to shine a light on inequality at work. Without this, millions of disabled workers will be consigned to years of lower pay and in-work poverty.

“During the pandemic, many disabled people were able to work flexibly or from home for the first time. We must ensure this continues – flexible workplaces are accessible workplaces and give everyone better work-life balance.

“Ministers must change the law so that all jobs are advertised with flexible options clearly stated, and all workers have the legal right to work flexibly from their first day in a job.”

Disability pay gap reporting

The TUC also wrote to women and equalise minister Kemi Badenoch to call for urgent action to address the disability pay gap.

The union body wants the government to bring in mandatory disability pay gap reporting for all employers with more than 50 employees.

The TUC says the legislation should be accompanied by a duty on employers to produce action plans identifying the steps they will take to address any gaps identified. 

Government action needed

To address the causes of the pay gap, the TUC is calling for the National Minimum Wage to be raised to £15 an hour as soon as possible. 

They are also calling for more funding for the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to enforce disabled workers’ rights to reasonable adjustments. The EHRC must update their statutory code of practice to include more examples of reasonable adjustments, to help disabled workers get the adjustments they need quickly and effectively. 

In addition, the TUC are calling for a stronger legal framework for reasonable adjustments including: ensuring employers respond quickly to requests, substantial penalties for bosses who fail to provide adjustments and for reasonable adjustment passports to be mandatory in all public bodies.

And lastly, they are calling for a day-one right to flexible working for everyone and a duty on employers to include possible flexible working options in job adverts.

 

 

 

 

 

Amelia Brand
Amelia Brand

Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.