Charity calls for Government to tackle disability employment gap and make reporting on disability employment mandatory
Leonard Cheshire is urging the UK Government to implement a range of measures that will ensure previous commitments to tackle the employment gap between disabled and non-disabled people are realised.
The news comes ahead of next week’s Queen’s speech and Leonard Cheshire says disabled people must be placed at the heart of the UK economy.
According to the charity, roughly 7.7 million people of working age in the UK are disabled or have a long-term health condition. Yet, just over half are in employment, despite overall UK employment rates being at more than 80 percent.
Although there has been some progress, the overall gap in employment rates between disabled and non-disabled people shows little sign of being closed significantly, says the charity.
Leonard Cheshire has now called for a stronger and more coordinated approach by the Government – including changes to legislation and a revolution in the support available to employers – if ambitions are to translate into reality for disabled people.
The charity is also urging the Government to make reporting on disability employment mandatory in order to shine a spotlight on disability employment rates so that companies can be held accountable.
A recent parliamentary question for the charity by Daniel Zeichner MP revealed the Government does not hold information on the overall number of disabled people leaving work because of their disability or long-term health condition. This is despite seven in 10 disabled people telling Leonard Cheshire earlier this year that they had done so.
Neil Heslop, Chief Executive at Leonard Cheshire, said: “Government needs to match the rhetoric with clarity on its commitments to disabled people.
“Having a talented group of people not getting jobs or falling out of work damages individuals, families and is a huge loss to the economy.
“We need hard hitting measures backed by the full powers of the State. The disability employment gap has been a badge of failure for successive occupants of Number 10. It flies in the face of ambitions for a post Brexit inclusive economy.
“After many false dawns the government must get a handle on this issue in the same way other social injustices and discrimination have been tackled.”
