by Connor Courtien, RDPFS Intern

According to the most recent data in the nTIDE (National Trends in Disability Employment) Jobs Report, issued jointly by the Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability, a record high for labor force participation rate by people with disabilities was achieved in February of this year. Data on this rate have been published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics since 2008 and serve as the basis for the reported information. This unprecedented rate, at 40.2 percent, includes individuals who are either working or actively looking for work, and year-to-year, marks a 3.6 percent increase from 36.6 percent in February 2022. In addition to this all-time high in participation, the employment-to-population ratio saw a 3.8 percent increase, from 33.1 percent to 36.9 percent, among people with disabilities in the same timeframe. As a point of comparison, the participation rate for those without disabilities increased by 0.4 percentage points, from 76.9 percent to 77.3 percent, and the employment-to-population ratio increased by 0.6 percentage points, from 73.8 percent to 74.4 percent, year-to-year. These statistics represent a narrowing of the gap between labor force engagement between those with and without disabilities. According to John O’Neill, PhD, director of the Center for Employment and Disability Research at the Kessler Foundation, “This is consistent with the gains we have seen as people with disabilities made a strong recovery from the pandemic.” For a more complete breakdown of these latest statistics, follow the link above to the full report.

A Deeper Dive: Monthly Webinar on March 24, 2023

Each month the nTIDE team hosts two webinars, a “Lunch and Learn,” which coincides with and covers the release of the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics job report on the first Friday of every month, and a “Deeper Dive,” a mid-month webinar that goes into more detailed topics regarding employment trends for people with disabilities, featuring guest speakers. The next webinar, a “Deeper Dive”, takes place on March 24, 2023 from 12 pm to 1 pm ET on Zoom, with registration for the event now open. Additionally, all previous webinars are archived and available to view online. Follow the links above to register for the upcoming webinar and check out some previous episodes.