The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), with funding and support from the NDA, have published a new working paper detailing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the employment of people with disabilities. This is the final output of the partnership programme between the NDA and the ESRI.
The study, entitled ‘The Labour Market Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Individuals with Disabilities: The Case of Ireland’, investigated the risk of unemployment for disabled people of working age compared to those without a disability during the COVID-19 pandemic and the post-COVID-19 pandemic period. In particular, the paper examined the unemployment rates of those people with and without disabilities prior to the pandemic, to see if there were differences in their labour market status before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, what happened when the pandemic commenced, and then during the recovery period.
The findings reveal that while people of working age, regardless of disability status, experienced an increase in unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic, people with disabilities have not seen the same recovery as those without disabilities. Specifically, the unemployment rates for disabled people had not returned to their pre-pandemic levels by the end of the first half of 2023. The study also considered the labour market impacts across different disabilities, finding that the rise in unemployment during the pandemic was especially sharp for people with an intellectual disability.
The paper offers learnings from the COVID-19 experience, identifying measures needed to support disabled people during labour market crises, including targeted inclusive workplace practices aimed at retaining employees with disabilities in their current roles.
The study also suggests that sector-specific interventions could play a significant contribution, with many disabled people employed in sectors such as health and retail, which were particularly vulnerable to economic disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper indicates that collaborating with employers to create inclusive opportunities within these sectors, including the possibility of job retention or reassignment to roles less vulnerable to disruption, could better protect people with disabilities during times of economic, or other, disruptions.
Read the full report on the ERSI website by following this link