Research on Disability TRENDS: June 2017 nTIDE Jobs Report

nTIDE June Jobs Report:

Kessler Foundation & University of New Hampshire release nTIDE Report – Monthly Update

DURHAM, NH – Americans with disabilities continued to engage in the labor market, reaching 15 months of job gains, according to today’s National Trends in Disability Employment – Monthly Update (nTIDE), issued by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability (UNH-IOD). This extends the longest stretch of recorded gains for this population. As the nation implements the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014, vocational rehabilitation (VR) services are evolving to better serve people with significant disabilities. By aligning VR with programs for students and young adults with severe disabilities, there are more options for their transition to competitive, integrated employment.

In the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Jobs Report released Friday, July 7, the employment-to-population ratio for working-age people with disabilities increased from 28.1 percent in June 2016 to 29.8 percent in June 2017 (up 6 percent; 1.7 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the employment-to-population ratio also increased from 73.2 percent in June 2016 to 73.9 percent in June 2017 (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). “Fifteen consecutive months of employment growth for people with disabilities is outstanding news,” according to John O’Neill, PhD, director of employment and disability research at Kessler Foundation. “However, 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,” he added. The labor force participation rate for working-age people with disabilities increased from 32.1 percent in June 2016 to 33.0 percent in June 2017 (up 2.8 percent; 0.9 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the labor force participation rate also increased from 76.9 percent in June 2016 to 77.3 percent in June 2017 (up 0.5 percent; 0.4 percentage points). The labor force participation rate is the percentage of the population that is working or actively looking for work. Read Full Report >

Read the full June nTIDE Report Resources Research on Disability: Learn about several new Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers (RRTCs) on Disability. Annual Disability Statistics Compendium: Web-based tool that pools disability statistics published by various federal agencies together in one place.  Institute on Disability: Promotes full access, equal opportunities, and participation for all persons by strengthening communities and advancing policy and systems change, promising practices, education, and research. 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.