Disabled people ‘not hit hardest’ by recession, says TUC

The recession has not hit disabled people’s job prospects harder than those of non-disabled people according to a report by the TUC.
In its recession report for July, focusing on disabled people, the TUC says the early evidence suggests their relative position “is one of the few chinks of light in a very sombre overall picture”.
Research suggests that disabled people have been hit harder than non-disabled people during previous recessions.
But although the rate of unemployment among disabled people is still significantly higher, and the number of those who are unemployed has risen, the gap between disabled and non-disabled people seems to have shrunk.
The report warns that thousands of disabled people will still lose their jobs and thousands more will fail to find work during the recession, so policies to promote their employment prospects are vital.
It says wider government policies will also be crucial, as large cuts in public services would reduce disabled people’s job prospects in those sectors.
And any radical programme of cuts in services such as housing, health, transport and education would harm disabled people’s ability to find work, according to the report.
23 July 2009