According to research by the Resolution Foundation, the number of disabled individuals who are working age has increased by 2.3 million in the last ten years. One in every seven employees now has a disability, a 50% increase since 2013.
Despite an increase in the number of disabled individuals of working age since 2013 of 2.3 million, there has only been an increase of 1.9 million in the number of disabled people employed over the same period.
Individuals reporting mental health impairments experienced the greatest growth, with over three times as many disabled workers (2.4% of the working-age population) reporting a mental illness in 2022 than in 2013.
The research lists several variables that could have led to the rise in disabled working age individuals, including the rise in societal awareness of mental health, the pandemic’s focus on workplace adjustments and illness, and the effects of long COVID on many employees.
However, despite these variables, the research emphasises that this increase is part of long-term trend.
You can read the full research report on the Resolution Foundation’s website.