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Only 40% of disabled workers surveyed by a hiring platform believe there are good employment opportunities available to them despite UK government figures showing a twelve-fold increase in ‘Disability Confident’ job adverts.
The analysis carried out by Indeed found that 68% of disabled workers believe employers should be more proactive and do more to support their employment aspirations.
The surprising finding comes after the hiring platform analysed millions of job postings and revealed that the share of paid roles at Disability Confident employers rose 1,100% in five years.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) launched the Disability Confident scheme in November 2016 with the specific aim to ‘give employers the techniques, skills and confidence they need to recruit, retain and develop people with disabilities and long-term health conditions’.
The scheme has three levels and each one has to be completed before employers can move on to the next one.
Once employers attain each level, they receive a certificate in recognition. To achieve the highest ‘Leader’ level, employers must have their self-assessment validated by a third party and agree to ‘act as a champion for disability employment within local and business communities’.
Close to 19,000 employers have signed up to the DWP scheme so far, according to government figures published last month.
A quantitative telephone survey that sampled 600 of the 6,217 employers who had signed up to the scheme by late September 2018 revealed that 49% had reported that they had recruited at least one person with a disability, long-term health or mental health condition as a result of signing up. This figure rose to 66% among larger employers.
However, Indeed’s own research found that only two-in-five disabled workers felt they could access good job opportunities despite the rise in the share of paid roles at Disability Confident employers.
The hiring platform’s survey findings also showed that 58% of respondents felt finding a job was more difficult for them than it was for others.
The analysis showed that just over half of those surveyed (52%) felt confident that they can reach their full potential at work. In addition to pay, disabled workers surveyed cited more flexibility of hours (39%) and location (34%) as important considerations that would make a job better for someone with a disability.
‘Our analysis shows a huge increase in the number of employers promoting themselves as Disability Confident in job ads, highlighting a commitment to improving access to the workplace for people with disabilities and long-term health conditions,’ says Bill Richards, UK managing director at Indeed.
‘While progress has been made, we know that there is still a gap between the way employers view themselves as ready to recruit, retain and develop people with disabilities and the reality for employees themselves.’
Richards added that 65% of respondents cited job security as the ‘gold standard companies should aim for’.
‘Against the backdrop of soaring inflation and the rising cost of living, it’s more important than ever that employers ensure people with disabilities feel happy and secure within their work, beyond simply outlining commitments at the recruitment stage,’ he said.
Workers with disabilities often face significant challenges in accessing work and remaining in employment and a UK Trades Union Congress (TUC) report published last June found that the COVID-19 pandemic has only raised pre-existing barriers.
The report made clear that many disabled workers who are already in employment do not feel comfortable disclosing their disability, health condition or impairment to their employer, emphasising the need for managers in businesses and organisations to provide more supportive work environments.
Diane Lightfoot, CEO at the Business Disability Forum, told IOSH Magazine: ‘To attract disabled talent, companies need to create a culture which actively supports and promotes disability inclusion at all levels of the organisation. Committing to the Disability Confident scheme is a good start but to be truly inclusive, employers need to make sure that inclusive values run through everything they do.
‘Recruitment campaigns must be backed up and consistent with wider organisational branding and messaging to give disabled candidates the confidence that they will be welcomed and supported if they apply.’
She added that often, disabled candidates and employees are afraid to ask for the support they need.
‘In our Great Big Workplace Adjustments Survey 2019, we found that 34% of disabled employees who would have benefited from an adjustment had not asked for one for fear their manager would treat them differently. To be truly inclusive, employers must create a culture with visible senior leadership to normalise the conversation about disability where disabled candidates can see “someone like me” and create the psychological safety that enables people to ask for the support they need.’