The Paw Print: Employment and Underemployment Statistics for Adults with Disabilities
Our company is formed around our mission, which is:
“to provide young adults with disabilities the opportunity to engage in meaningful work and job training in an inclusive environment that celebrates their varying talents and connects them with the community around our mission.”
We thought it would be a good idea to inform you of the labor market today, as well as how it has grown since the 2010 census and where we hope it is heading for the future.
Citations for information and figures are located at the end of the blog.
To start, here are some tidbits from the 2010 US Census about Employment of People with Disabilities:
Figure 1
Figure 2
Important Definitions:
Employed: Persons actively working
Unemployment: Persons actively looking for work with no success
Not in Labor Force: Persons not working and not looking for a job
~ Figure 1 helps show were the market has been before and Figure 2 has good prediction for the “future”, which is now. Let’s break some of this down should we:
~ Figure 1 shows that in 2010 21% of all adults (18+) with disabilities were employed and that only 4% were actively looking for jobs(unemployed). This leaves a whopping 75% who weren’t looking for employment and not employed (thus, leaving them out of the labor force). Now, one might say “oh, so they didn’t want to work in 2010. If they did, their unemployment rate would be higher” But put into context, maybe history tells a different story. A statistic that is not calculated into the unemployment rate is the rate of discouraged workers- those that had been looking but see no hope- so, they stop looking and are calculated out of the employment rate. With the economic collapse of 2008 hitting everyone hard, it is plausible that many gave up in their search for a job. This isn’t too far fetched as it happened for those without disabilities as well. Everyone was struggling to find work.
~ Figure 2 has a brighter side showing that an upward prediction of 10.4% increase in job availability for the next 10 years for people with disabilities and a 10.8% increase for those without disabilities.
“Now that we know what it was like in 2010, what does the employment statistics and opportunity look for people with disabilities now?" According to researchondisabilty.org, this June the United States’ employment-to-population ratio for Americans with disabilities reached 31% (as opposed to 2010’s 21%)
And in an article posted June 25, 2019 on www.shrm.org, the author makes note of the unemployment rate for Americans with disabilities for the past 3.5 years:
The Unemployment Rate for Americans with Disabilities 2016-2018
But it also seems the job market for people with disabilities has had its ups and downs in between 2010 and 2019. One article titled “Special Edition: National Trends in Disability Employment – 2016 Review/2017 Preview” posted on researchondisability.org indicated that the worst time for employment was in January 2014. And while the employment rate has been slowly rising, the jobs people with disabilities are receiving are usually part-time occupations. Part-time is okay, but it makes it harder for those with disabilities to be fully independent.
“Okay, so the unemployment rate is fine. But, what’s this part-time/full-time talk about?”
Even though the unemployment rate for people with disabilities has been improving, there is now a new issue: underemployment.
Underemployment, defined by www.thebalancecareers.com, is when “[a] worker may be considered underemployed if they hold a part-time job instead of a full-time one, or if they are overqualified and have education, experience, and skills that exceed the requirements of the job.” It seems that many companies either don’t know how to accommodate and/or don’t know how to make the workplace accessible for people with disabilities. When this happens, corporations are less likely to give out full-time jobs to people who might need things to be more accessible. Thus, people with disabilities take any chance they can get for a job: most of them being part-time because those are jobs companies are offering them after not changing their workplace.
Being underemployed not only affects one’s self-esteem, but one’s independency. In an article titled “What Is the Difference Between Full-Time and Part-Time Employees?” posted on www.thebalancesmb.com, they share that work hours per week are not the only differences between part-time and full-time occupations. Other differences include the amount of health care benefits and how one is paid (salary vs. wage). How can someone with a disability that has regular bills, on top of added medical bills for their condition, be able to live completely independent if not given health benefits and a better wage? The answer is most of them can’t. By having less chances of a full-time job, people with disabilities have a harder time being fully independent.
“So, now what?”
As a nonprofit that is invested in giving more chances of fulfilling and meaningful work to those with disabilities, we are immersing ourselves in the fight. By raising awareness of the on-going trends in the job market, vocalizing the reality and hardship they face looking for full-time and part-time employment, and providing work and positions at our nonprofit, we hope to make a difference for them. Each time a customer buys some of our yummy, organic treats, they help the cause to spread support for young adults with disabilities.
“Yeah, and what do you think the future looks like?”
As the economy continues to surge forward, more job opening will be available for more people, disabled and not. Hopefully, more Americans with disabilities see the opportunities that are here now and reenter the labor force. As more push for meaningful work and the cause becomes a greater concern for the public, more opportunity and legislation should increase the employment and participation rates.
If you are interested and support our cause, or are interested in selling or buying our treats, please reach out via Facebook(@pawfectlydelicious), Instagram(@pawfectlydeliciousdog) or Email(info@pawfectlydelicious.org).
#Americanswithdisabilities #youngadultswithdisabilities #census #underemployed #unemployed #change #mission #heart #dogtreats #nonprofit #disability #theworkforce #work
Citations:
Brennan-Curry, A. (2017, January 27). Research on Disability. Retrieved July 10, 2019, from https://researchondisability.org/news-features/2017/01/27/special-edition-national-trends-in-disability-employment-2016-review-2017-preview
Brennan-Curry, A. (2019, July 05). Research on Disability. Retrieved July 10, 2019, from https://researchondisability.org/news-features/2019/07/05/ntide-june-2019-jobs-report-job-numbers-show-strong-gains-for-americans-with-disabilities
Doyle, A. (2019, January 09). Learn About The Differences Between Underemployment and Unemployment. Retrieved from https://www.thebalancecareers.com/underemployment-definition-and-examples-2064158
Gurchiek, K. (2018, June 25). BLS: Jobless Rate for People with Disabilities Decreases. Retrieved from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/behavioral-competencies/global-and-cultural-effectiveness/pages/bls-jobless-rate-for-people-with-disabilities-decreases.aspx
Hastings, R. R., & Sphr. (2018, April 10). People with Disabilities Are Plentiful-and Underemployed. Retrieved from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/behavioral-competencies/global-and-cultural-effectiveness/pages/people-with-disabilities-are-plentiful-and-underemployed.aspx
Murray, J. (2019, June 25). What's the Difference Between Full-time and Part-time Employees? Retrieved July 11, 2019, from https://www.thebalancesmb.com/difference-between-full-and-part-time-employees-398262
For Figures 1 and 2:
US Department of Labor. (n.d.). DisabilityOccupationalProjections2012-2022Accessible[Excel Spreadsheet]. Washington, Dc: Us Department of Labor. US Department of Labor. (n.d.). Disability Employment Statistics. Retrieved July 2, 2019, from https://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/disabilityemploymentstatistics.htm