National Performance Framework - disability perspective: analysis

7. Fair Work and Business

National Outcome: We have thriving and innovative businesses, with quality jobs and fair work for everyone

There is no updated data available for the National Performance Framework indicators in this category: four indicators do not measure individuals; two indicators are specifically concerned with gender, and one indicator is not broken down by disability. One indicator - Employee Voice - does provide break downs by disability, but there is no updated data available for this indicator. There is, however, updated data available for an additional indicator in this category:

Disability Pay Gap (COVID-19 Data)

Analysis of the Labour Force Survey by Trades Union Congress (TUC)^[38] has demonstrated that the disability pay gap in the UK widened between 2019 and 2020. In 2019, non-disabled workers earnt £1.65 (15.5 per cent) more per hour than disabled workers. In 2020, this had increased to £2.10 (19.6 per cent). This means that a disabled worker working 35 hours per week would, on average, earn £3,822 per year less than a non-disabled worker. In 2019 this calculation found a disabled worker would, on average, earn £3,000 per year less than a non-disabled worker.^[39]

A comparison of the median hourly earnings of disabled men and women and non-disabled men and women shows all three other groups were substantially worse off compared to non-disabled men. However, disabled women faced the largest pay gap. The pay gap for disabled women is nearly nine percentage points higher than the pay gap for women overall. Both groups of women were paid less than disabled and non-disabled men, with non-disabled men being paid 36% more than disabled women.^[40]

Source: TUC analysis of Labour Force Survey 2020

Employment (COVID-19 Data)

Inclusion Scotland ran a short survey (n=164) from Tuesday 10 November 2020 until Tuesday 17 November (during the COVID-19 pandemic) to ask disabled people their views on the 'A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People' plan. Disabled people were asked if they thought employment opportunities and working conditions for disabled people had got better, got worse or stayed the same since 2016. Almost half (44%) said employment opportunities and working conditions had got worse, around a quarter (25%) said they had stayed the same, 7% said they had got better and 24% said they were not sure.^[41] This survey was carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic, and this context is likely to have affected the results reported here.