National Trends in Disability Employment (nTIDE) – issued semi-monthly by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire
East Hanover, NJ – March 31, 2023 – Since the pandemic, gains in the labor market have been slower to materialize for black/African American people with disabilities compared to their white counterparts, according to experts speaking last Friday during the nTIDE Deeper Dive Lunch & Learn Webinar. They discussed potential factors underlying why the disability employment gap is wider among members of the black/African American population when compared to the white population and how to integrate measures to effect change.
Using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for persons ages 16-64, the monthly employment-to-population ratio averaged over the 12-month period, April 2021-March 2022, was 23.2 percent for black/African American civilians with disabilities, compared to 34.3 percent for white civilians with disabilities. In contrast, the average monthly employment-to-population ratio was 68.4 percent for black/African American civilians without disabilities, compared to 74.5 percent for white civilians without disabilities in the same period.
The monthly employment-to-population ratio, a key indicator, reflects the number of people in a population who are working, relative to the total number of people in that population. A 12-month average of this indicator is used to boost statistical precision. The 12-month period of April in one year to March in the next year is used to help examine employment trends before and after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown recession.
The impact of disability on employment, as measured by the “relative disability employment gap” was -66.1 percent among black/African American civilians compared to -54.0 percent among white civilians. These figures encompass the percentage difference in the average monthly employment-to-population ratios of people with disabilities and people without disabilities as a percentage of the employment-to-population ratio for people without disabilities.
“These estimates are consistent with prior findings. Over the years, data and observations from the field have shown that the impact of existing inequalities magnifies the impact of disability,” said John O’Neill, PhD, director of the Center for Employment and Disability Research at Kessler Foundation. “Persons with disabilities from diverse backgrounds may be more likely to face barriers when accessing the programs and systems designed to reduce employment barriers for people with disabilities,” Dr. O’Neill added.
