FIGURES published today by the Scottish Government show the employment rate for disabled people in Scotland has steadily increased since 2014.
In 2018 the employment rate for disabled people aged 16-64 was 45.6%, an increase of 4.2 percentage points since 2014. Over the same period, the employment gap between disabled and non-disabled people decreased by 2.4 percentage points.
Fair Work Minister Jamie Hepburn said:
“Everybody who can and wants to work should have the chance to find rewarding jobs. I am determined that we do everything in our power to address inequality in the workforce and ensure disabled people are supported to have fair and sustainable working lives.
“I welcome these figures showing that progress is being made, and I recognise this is just the beginning. The figures also show that around a quarter of disabled people who are currently economically inactive want to work.
“We will continue to work across government, with employers and other partners to support people into employment and to address the barriers disabled people face.
“Our forthcoming progress report on A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People: Employment Action Plan, will outline the key next steps. This includes continuing to press for the devolution of services and resources to support disabled people to enter and sustain employment.”
