Disability and recruitment in the UK

There are 6.8 million disabled people of working age in Great Britain, which represents 19% of the working age population. Disability Rights Commission, Disability Briefing: Dec 2004

There are 2.5 million economically inactive disabled people, one third of whom would like to work. Disability Rights Commission, Disability Briefing: Dec 2004

Disabled people make an average of two and a half times as many job applications as non-disabled people and yet get fewer job offers. SCOPE, Ready, Willing and Disabled, April 2003

Disabled graduates are more likely to be out of work than non-disabled individuals with no formal qualifications. Monitoring Poverty & Social Exclusion 2006, New Policy Institute

About a third of disabled people have been unable to accept a job offer because of the inaccessibility of the built environment. SCOPE, Ready, Willing and Disabled, April 2003

Disabled people are almost twice as likely to have no qualifications; this pattern on inequality has not changed since 1998. Labour Force Survey, June 2005

Employment rates vary greatly according to the type of impairment a person has. Disabled people with mental health problems have the lowest employment rates of all impairment categories, at only 20 per cent. DRC Disability Briefing: Dec 2004

At least 1.3 million disabled people of working age in the UK face ongoing exclusion because companies are using inaccessible e-recruitment websites. McKinsey & Company, ‘Making E-recruitment Barrier-free for people with Disabilities', 2003