New analysis shows employment pay gap for disabled women is 27.3%

Disabled women face a 27.3% employment pay gap compared to non-disabled men, with the overall earnings gap between disabled and non-disabled workers hitting 15.5%, according to a new report from the TUC.

This gap amounts to £2.24 an hour, resulting in disabled people who work 35 hours a week earning over £4,000 less per year. This is coupled with higher rates of unemployment for disabled workers and a higher likelihood of being in insecure work.

The analysis also shows that the unemployment rate among disabled people is now the highest it has been since before the pandemic – more than double the unemployment rate for non-disabled people.

Disabled workers are also significantly more likely to be employed on zero-hours contracts than non-disabled workers (4.3% compared to 3.3%). A consequence of this is that it becomes harder for workers to challenge unacceptable behaviour by bosses due to concerns about being penalised by not being allocated hours in the future.

Employment Rights Bill will help disabled workers

The government’s Employment Rights Bill is set to ban zero-hour contracts, which the TUC says is a welcome measure that will improve the lives of many disabled workers.

The union is now urging the government to tackle this urgently and press on with delivering its plans to introduce mandatory disability pay gap reporting – a measure already in place for reporting on gender pay gaps.

It also states that these plans need to be implemented alongside broader measures, including reform of the Access to Work scheme, so that people receive the necessary support to enter the workforce and employers are required to deliver reasonable adjustments promptly.

In addition, the Mayfield review, published last week, recognised that more needs to be done to boost the number of disabled people in work and set out some key steps in the right direction.

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “Everyone who works for a living deserves to earn a decent living. But disabled workers are still waiting for pay parity and fair treatment at work.

“Urgent action is now needed to improve the quality of work and pay for disabled people. The government’s commitment to delivering mandatory pay gap reporting and banning exploitative zero-hours contracts are among some of the measures that will make a real difference in disabled people’s working lives.

“It’s important we now see those plans realised as soon as possible. We need an economy that allows disabled people to thrive – not one that traps them in poverty.”

Alison Bloomer

Alison Bloomer is Editor of Learning Disability Today.

See Full Bio