National Trends in Disability Employment – 2016 Full-Year-in-Review

DURHAM, NH –The momentum of the last three quarters extended employment gains into 2017 for Americans with disabilities, as reported in this special year-in-review edition of the Trends in Disability Employment–National Update (nTIDE). Based on the latest national data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this monthly customized report on the employment of people with disabilities is a collaborative effort of Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability (UNH-IOD).

For the second consecutive year, both of the key job market indicators were up overall for people with disabilities. In summary, in 2016, the average monthly employment-to-population ratio increased from 27.0 percent in 2015 to 27.7 percent (up 2.6 percent; 0.7 percentage points) and the average monthly labor force participation rate increased from 30.5 percent to 31.2 percent (up 2.3 percent; 0.7 percentage points). These increments build on the increases seen in 2015, which marked the reversal of six-year downward trends for both indicators. Unlike 2015, however, 2016 ended on an upswing, which may be a positive factor as we look ahead to 2017. Among people without disabilities, the news was also positive, but marginally so. Both the employment to population ratio and the labor participation rate increased in 2016. The average monthly employment-to-population ratio increased from 72.2 percent to 72.8 percent (up 0.8 percent; 0.6 percentage points), and the average monthly labor force participation rate increased from 76.1 percent to 76.4 percent (up 0.4 percent; 0.3 percentage points). Read The Full Report HERE

SOURCE: UNH Institute on Disability           

Trends in Disability Employment - National Update is funded, in part, by a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) under grant number 90RT5022-02-01,and Kessler Foundation.