Remote work helps push disability employment to record highs

The embrace of remote work spurred by the pandemic helped the employment rate for the disabled reach an all-time high last year.

The percentage of disabled people who work pink to 21.3% in 2022, according to the data released Thursday at the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s more than a two percentage point increase from 2021 and the largest since 2008, when similar data were first published.

The unemployment rate for the disabled fell last year along with the national average. And while the labor force participation rate increased for those without disabilities, it increased three times as much for people with disabilities.

Everyday tasks such as commuting and navigating an office space can be difficult for people depending on their disabilities. As companies adopt remote and hybrid work arrangements, many are disabled applied for and landed jobs – sometimes for the first time in years.

The recent push by companies encouraging workers back to the office can threaten the gains made by the disabled, who make up about 12% of the population, according to the BLS. A report through a consulting firm McKinsey & Co. published in June estimated that 35% of companies offer a fully remote option.

In general, disabled people are less likely to work than their counterparts without disabilities, and they are twice as likely to work part-time, the BLS report said. They are also more likely to be self-employed.

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