Employment Report Sept. 2016 numbers rise again in 6-month trend for Americans with disabilities

Kessler Foundation & University of New Hampshire release nTIDE Report for September – Monthly Update DURHAM, NH – For the sixth consecutive month economic indicators rose for Americans with disabilities, 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). During National Disability Awareness Month, we celebrate progress being made throughout the U.S. by employers who have recognized that inclusion works. Eighteen such companies, from a variety of industries, were selected for 2016 Best in Business awards in a national competition based on their successes in integrating people with disabilities in their workplaces. This was the second annual competition sponsored by the Ruderman Family Foundation, in partnership with The Jewish Week Media Group.

In the Bureau of Labor Statistics Jobs Report released Friday, October 7, the employment-to-population ratio for working-age people with disabilities increased from 26.5 percent in September 2015 to 28 percent in September 2016 (up 5.7 percent; 1.5 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the employment-to-population ratio also increased from 72.3 percent in September 2015 to 73.0 percent in September 2016 (up 1 percent; 0.7 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). “The improvement in the proportion of people with disabilities working continues to outpace improvements made by people without disabilities.” according to John O’Neill, PhD, director of employment and disability research at Kessler Foundation.  “While six consecutive months of employment growth for people with disabilities is very encouraging news, it does not mean we are out of the woods,” he added. “There is still a long way to go before people with disabilities reach their pre-Great Recession employment levels, not to mention parity with people without disabilities.” Read more >