Jobs Report April 1, 2016 : Steady Job Numbers May Signal Start of Turnaround for People With Disabilities

Kessler Foundation and University of New Hampshire release March nTIDE Report – Monthly Update DURHAM, NH – The two major economic indicators remained steady for people with disabilities, which may signal the beginnings of a turnaround, according to today's National Trends in Disability Employment – Monthly Update (nTIDE), issued by Kessler Foundation and University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability (UNH-IOD). Strategies that keep employees in the workplace benefit employers and taxpayers, as well as people with disabilities. The U.S. Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy provides resources for employers and employees that help workers affected by unexpected illness or injuries stay on the job or return to work as soon as possible.

In the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Jobs Report released Friday, April 1, the employment-to-population ratio for working-age people with disabilities increased slightly from 27.2 percent in March 2015 to 27.3 percent in March 2016 (up 0.4 percent; 0.1 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the employment-to-population ratio also increased slightly from 71.7 percent in March 2015 to 72.5 percent in March 2016 (up 1.1 percent; 0.8 percentage points). The employment-to-population ratio, a key indicator, reflects the percentage of people who are working relative to the total population (the number of people working divided by the number of people in the total population multiplied by 100). “These are very modest changes,” said Andrew Houtenville, Ph.D., associate professor of economics at UNH. “Compared to this time last year, the employment of people with disabilities hasn’t changed very much.” Read more >

# information for this post is shared from the Kessler Foundation and University of New Hampshire