disability employment statistics update

from disabilityscoop.com:

Work was particularly hard to come by for Americans with disabilities last year, according to a newly released report showing that in 2010 less than 1 in 5 with disabilities held jobs.

The report from the U.S. Department of Labor finds individuals with disabilities in all age groups were less likely to be employed than their typically developing peers.

Moreover, when those with disabilities did find jobs, they were more often part-time positions or opportunities for self-employment and less likely to be management or professional jobs.

The statistics offer a long-range view on employment data that’s released monthly by the Labor Department.

Though the picture painted by the report is a sobering one, the hiring experiences of people with disabilities appear to be steady. Even as unemployment soared to 9.4 percent for the general population, the jobless rate for those with disabilities remained largely unchanged from 2009 to 2010 at 14.8 percent.

Meanwhile, about 80 percent of those with disabilities were not considered to be in the labor force, meaning that they were not employed and were not looking for work. Just 30 percent of people in the general population fell into this same category.

One area that did appear to improve job prospects for workers with disabilities was increased education, the report found. However, even those with advanced degrees lagged behind similarly educated individuals without disabilities when it came to hiring.

$20 million to Improve Employment for People with Disabilities

US Labor Department Announces About $20 million to Fund State-Run Programs Aimed at Improving Employment Outcomes for People with Disabilities

The Department of Labor's (DOL's) Employment and Training Administration (ETA), in coordination with DOL's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) announces the availability of approximately $20 million for a second round of cooperative agreements to state agencies that administer the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). These funds provide an opportunity for states to develop and implement a plan for improving effective and meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in the workforce.

"Workers with disabilities suffer from one of the lowest employment rates of any group in the American population, even in times of prosperity," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "It is vital that state and local agencies work together with private sector partners to improve these statistics. Through this second round of funding, we are expanding the Disability Employment Initiative to include programs in additional states."

DOL is using this funding to implement the Disability Employment Initiative (DEI), through which the Department intends to make six to ten grant awards designed to:

• Improve educational, training, and employment opportunities and outcomes of youth and adults with disabilities who are unemployed, underemployed, and/or receiving Social Security disability benefits;
• Help these individuals with disabilities find a path into the middle class through exemplary and model service delivery by the public workforce system.

DOL will award DEI grants for a three-year period of performance. The complete SGA and any subsequent SGA amendments are described in further detail on federalregister.gov or dol.gov. The Web sites provide application information, eligibility requirements, review and selection procedures and other program requirements governing this solicitation.

Unemployment rate for Americans with disabilities

From www.disabilityscoop.com:

For the first time in three months, the unemployment rate for Americans with disabilities eased somewhat in April. The Department of Labor said Friday that unemployment fell to 14.5 percent for those with disabilities in April, down from 15.6 percent the previous month.
However, the change could be due at least in part to fewer people with special needs seeking work.

Meanwhile, the general population continued to fare significantly better than those with disabilities as the economy added 244,000 jobs. Unemployment for that group rested at 9 percent for the month.

The Department of Labor began tracking employment among people with disabilities in October 2008. There is not yet enough data compiled to establish seasonal trends among this population, so statistics for this group are not seasonally adjusted.

Data on people with disabilities covers those over the age of 16 who do not live in institutions. The first employment report specific to this population was made available in February 2009. Now, reports are released monthly.

Disability Employment Statistics

February 2011 Disability Employment Statistics

• In February 2011, the percentage of people with disabilities in the labor force was 21%. By comparison, the percentage of persons with no disability in the labor force was 70%
• The unemployment rate for those with disabilities was 15%, compared with 9% for persons with no disability

Statistics on the Employment Rate of People with Disabilities from 2000 Census

• Number of people with disabilities aged 16-64 is 33,153,211
• Of those, the total number employed is 18,525,862
• People with disabilities aged 16-64 employed is 55.8%
• Of the 18.6 million people with disabilities employed aged 16-64, 60.1% of men with disabilities are employed, and 51.4% of women with disabilities are employed

This is the first year ever that statistics have been released for Americans with disabilities in the area of unemployment. With the release of this data, the federal government statistically recognizes those with disabilities as participants in the civilian labor force. Before the release of these official disability employment statistics, many and conflicting numbers were available from various services. This information can be valuable in guiding public policy designed to help advocacy groups who experience labor market difficulties.