National Trends in Disability Employment (nTIDE) – Issued semi-monthly by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire
East Hanover, NJ – July 7, 2023 – June’s job numbers remained around all-time highs for people with disabilities, according to today’s National Trends in Disability Employment – semi-monthly update (nTIDE), issued by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability (UNH-IOD). nTIDE experts cautioned that employment of people with disabilities may be negatively affected by further anti-inflationary efforts by the Federal Reserve.
nTIDE Month-to-Month Comparison of Labor Market Indicators for People with and without Disabilities
employment-to-population ratio for people with and without disabilities. The labor force participation rate
declined slightly for people with disabilities and increased for people without disabilities.
Month-to-Month nTIDE Numbers (comparing May 2023 to June 2023)
Based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Jobs Report released today, the employment-to-population ratio for people with disabilities (ages 16-64) increased very slightly from 36.9 percent in May 2023 to 37.0 percent in June 2023 (up 0.3 percent or 0.1 percentage points). For people without disabilities (ages 16-64), the employment-to-population ratio also increased from 75.0 percent in May 2023 to 75.5 percent in June 2023 (up 0.7 percent or 0.5 percentage points). The employment-to-population ratio, a key indicator, reflects the percentage of people who are working relative to the total population (the number of people working divided by the number of people in the total population multiplied by 100).
“The employment-to-population ratio for people with disabilities is hovering around historic highs. We see a similar pattern for those without disabilities, where the ratio remained virtually the same as last month,” said John O’Neill, PhD, director of the Center for Employment and Disability Research at Kessler Foundation. “This pattern suggests that the Federal Reserve’s efforts to slow the labor market to curb inflation may be having the desired effect on people with and without disabilities.”
Regarding labor force participation, the labor force participation rate for people with disabilities (ages 16-64) decreased from 40.2 percent in May 2023 to 39.7 percent in June 2023 (down 1.2 percent or 0.5 percentage points). For people without disabilities (ages 16-64), the labor force participation rate increased from 77.6 percent in May 2023 to 78.4 percent in June 2023 (up 1 percent or 0.8 percentage points). The labor force participation rate reflects the percentage of people who are in the labor force (working, on temporary layoff, on furlough, or actively looking for work in the last four weeks) relative to the total population (the number of people in the labor force divided by the number of people in the total population multiplied by 100).
“In future months, the Federal Reserve is likely to take further action to reduce inflation, which may negatively affect the employment and labor force participation of people with disabilities,” reported Andrew Houtenville, PhD, professor of economics and research director of the UNH-IOD.
with and without disabilities.
