Veterans with Disabilities
According to the U.S. Census, veterans who served after September 11th have a 43% chance of acquiring a disability. At the same time, only 27% and 16% respectively of Gulf War and Vietnam War Veterans had a service-connected disability. Veterans serving in “peacetime” had a 9% chance of acquiring a service-related disability.
Our former Policy Fellow Roy Payan is a proud veteran with a disability. Roy acquired a visual impairment overseas, and when he returned, he learned to be independent with a new set of skills. Roy sought his independence through education, where he would face new challenges and barriers, including discrimination and ableism while completing his degree. Roy fought discrimination by taking his case to the courts for resolution.
Roy is not alone. Nearly two in three student veterans share that they have a disability and have faced barriers. It is essential to ensure that all people with disabilities have a path to the life they want.
Employment for People with Disabilities
In this Data Corner, we continue to examine this month’s National Trends In Disability Employment (nTIDE) report and their work tracking employment for people with disabilities.
The year-over-year data was promising. In June 2023, the labor force participation rate for people with disabilities rose to 39.7% compared to 38.1% in June 2022. This continues the upward trend from last year in the labor force participation rate for people with disabilities, as we work towards closing the gap between workers with and without disabilities. Workers without disabilities also experienced an uptick in their labor force participation rate, which rose from 77.6% in June 2022 to 78.4% in June 2023.
Likewise, the employment-to-population ratio for people with disabilities rose from 34.9% in June 2022 to 37.0% in June 2023. For those without disabilities, the employment-to-population ratio increased from 74.8% to 75.5%.
The month-to-month data was less promising. There was a decrease in the labor force participation rate for people with disabilities, from 40.2% in May to 39.7% in June. The labor force participation rate for those without disabilities rose from 77.6% in May to 78.4% in June.
So far, in 2023, we’ve seen positive employment data for people with disabilities, and we celebrate and acknowledge this. However, it is vital that those who are charged with decision-making are aware that the gaps remain very large between workers with and without disabilities. We encourage our readers that support us to share this content on social media and help raise awareness of the work that needs to be done.
Payroll and Unemployment Rate
In the U.S. payroll employment report, the number of paid U.S. workers in all businesses, excluding those working on farms, serving in the military, volunteers, and unpaid workers in the home, rose by 209,000 from May to June 2023.
According to the DOL disability employment statistics, the unemployment rate of people without a disability was steady at 3.7%, within the range of 3-5% deemed healthy by most economists. Noticeably, the unemployment rate of people with disabilities fell from 8.3% in May 2023 to 6.8% in June 2023. While 6.8% is better than 8.3%, it is still 1.8x higher than the unemployment rate for those without a disability. It reminds us that we must continue working to eliminate barriers to employment.
