Disabled people in Northumberland less likely to be in employment compared with national average
Less than half of disabled people in Northumberland were employed last year, recent figures show.
Figures published by the Department for Work and Pensions show just 47% of the 58,947 working-age disabled people in Northumberland were in employment in the year to March.
Meanwhile the employment rate stood at 79% for non-disabled people, meaning the disability employment gap – the gap between the rate of disabled and non-disabled people in a job – was 32 percentage points.
Across the UK around 55% of the 10.2 million disabled people were in employment in the year to March, compared to 82% for the 31.4 million non-disabled people.
Mikey Erhardt, policy lead at Disability Rights UK, said: “These new statistics make clear how the department's current approach of cutting support to push people into employment just doesn't work."
Chancellor Rachel Reeves recently announced disabled people claiming out of work benefits will have access to specialist work coaches and tailored support under the Pathways to Work Guarantee.
Reacting to the DWP figures, James Taylor, executive director of strategy at disability equality charity Scope, said: "With unemployment rising and hiring sluggish, the Government needs to invest in supporting disabled people to get into and stay in work."
A DWP spokesperson said: "We’re determined to get more people off welfare and into work. That’s why we are stepping up our plan to Get Britain Working with the most ambitious employment reforms in a generation.
"This includes modernising jobcentres, providing tailored support through the Connect to Work programme and partnering with more than 60 major and many small employers to reshape how health issues and disabilities are managed in the workplace."