Disability equality at work

Since 2013, Cardiff University research into this area has made an invaluable contribution to improving the lives of disabled people in Britain, through scrutinising government policy and claims of disability-related market inequality.

This work has established national metrics and monitored trends of labour market equality while enhancing the accuracy of national disability data collection, resulting in significant changes to policy and practice relating to disability and work in the UK.

Measuring the disability employment gap

Since 2013, research by Professor Melanie Jones and Professor Vicki Wass has established the scale and scope of the disability employment gap (DEG).

The DEG has been a key indicator of disability-related market inequality since 2008, and from 2015-17 was used to measure progress on national disability employment commitments. After failing to make significant progress towards its 2015 target to halve the DEG, the government weakened its target in 2017.

Through their research, Professors Jones and Wass found that the UK Government’s claim of narrowing the DEG was not robust. As a result, they argued for enhancing the accuracy of national evidence, with recommendations including widening monitoring using multiple surveys and measures of disability, and ensuring continuity of data collection.

This led to significant improvements by enhancing the accuracy of national disability data collection and monitoring, which is essential for understanding the DEG and holding the government to account on its commitments.

disability@work

The report changed the policy recommendations of leading disability equality organisations, including Disability Rights UK and the All-Party Parliamentary Group (Disability). Its recommendations led to a new policy focus on organisations and organisational measurement and reporting.

The Ahead of the Arc report and other disability@work recommendations prompted changes in national policy and practice which include the Government’s launch of a Voluntary Reporting Framework in November 2018, supporting employers to commit to reporting on disability in the workplace.

In 2019, MPs passed an early day motion recognising the contribution of disability@work to improving the lives of disabled people across Britain.

Lasting impact on wellbeing and social inclusion

Through scrutinising progress on government disability employment commitments, improving national data collection on disability, and encouraging the introduction of organisational disability measurement, this research has achieved tangible impact on UK policy.

Although it is too early to quantify the expected social and economic impacts of these policy changes, the benefits to disabled people are likely to be profound.

This is especially so for the 3.7 million disabled people currently without work in the UK.