Employment gap widening for people with disabilities and long-term health conditions

By The Press Association27th May 2016News EnglandBenefits, Disabilities, News England, Recruitment / Retention, Unemployment, Welfare / Benefits

The Government has been urged to overhaul employment support for people with disabilities and long-term health conditions to help them find jobs.

The Work Foundation said the gap between the employment for disabled and other people was widening.

A report said there were some pockets of good practice, but support was not as effective as it should be.

The foundation, part of Lancaster University, said having a physical or mental health condition should not dictate anyone’s chances of finding employment.

Karen Steadman of the Work Foundation, said: “The Government pledged to halve the disability employment gap by 2020 and next year will be launching its work and health programme to support this.

“However it now needs to reflect on the inadequacies of the current system, and rebuild trust to ensure claimants and stakeholders engage with it.

“It is clear that much of the current provision is not effectively meeting the public need.”

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said: “Supporting disabled people into work and halving the disability employment gap are our top priorities. Disability Confident and Access to Work are helping disabled people into work and our green paper on health and work will improve support for disabled people and people with health conditions.

“Our latest figures show that 365,000 more disabled people are in work compared to 2014.”

Mark Atkinson, chief executive of disability charity Scope, said: “Disabled people are pushing hard to find jobs and get on at work, but they continue to face huge barriers, from employer attitudes to inaccessible workplaces.

“The latest figures show the gap between the employment rate of disabled people and the rest of the population has widened.

“To achieve its ambitious target the Government must reform employment support by investing in expert, tailored support and creating flexible, modern workplaces.”