As a result, disabled workers will’stop’ receiving income as of today (7 November), due to the wage gap between them.
According to an analysis by the TUC the disability pay gap has now reached 17.2%. This means that disabled workers earn 2.35 PS more per hour than non-disabled workers.
In the year leading up to spring 2024, the pay gap increased by 2.6 percentage point from 14.6% two years earlier in 2021-22. Disability pay gap reached its highest level just before pandemic of 2019-20 when it was 19.6%.
TUC’s analysis showed that for an employee who works 35 hours per week, the disabled lose PS82.25 or PS4,300 annually.
According to the TUC, this weekly amount is much higher than the average household’s food expenditure (PS63.50).
The gap in pay is even greater for women with disabilities. The median pay for men without disabilities is 31% more than that of disabled women.
The TUC’s calculation of the pay gap is higher than the pay gap figures published by the ONS in 2023, which showed a pay gap of 12.7% between disabled and nondisabled employees.
The union points out that disabled people can face higher outgoings, including higher gas and electric bills, home adaptations, hearing or sensory equipment and powering manual and electric mobility aids.
It means that disabled people will have to pay an extra PS 1,010 per month in order to maintain the same standard of life as non-disabled persons.
As part of its election manifesto, the government has proposed mandatory reporting of disability pay gaps. It also plans to limit zero-hours contracting.
According to the TUC disabled workers are more than three times as likely to have zero-hours contracts than their non-disabled counterparts.
Paul Nowak, the general secretary of the AARP, said that employers shouldn’t wait until disability pay gaps are legally mandated. He advised employers to take action in the interim, such as analysing data on disabled workers’ experiences with processes like recruitment and promotion.
You could also introduce proactive measures, such as reasonable adjustment passports or positive action initiatives like open days for people with disabilities.
He said, “Everyone who earns a living should be able to live a decent life.” The pay gap between disabled workers and other workers grew under the previous government. Now, urgent action is needed to improve the opportunities for disabled workers.
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After 14 years of Tory inaction and failure, Labour’s promise to report the disability pay gap is a first step that should be welcomed.
The Employment Rights Bill, the government’s flagship bill, will also tackle insecure work – a problem that is disproportionately affecting disabled workers. We need a thriving economy for disabled people, not one that keeps them in poverty.
