About the report
This is the nineteenth annual report by the National Disability Authority (NDA) on employment of persons with disabilities in the public sector, as detailed under Part 5 of the Disability Act 2005.
In 2024, the minimum statutory employment target increased from 3% to 4.5%. In 2025, this target will increase to a minimum of 6%.
In 2024, the NDA is pleased to note that the percentage of employees reporting a disability increased to 5.4%. This is the first time this percentage has exceeded 5%. The number of employees reporting a disability increased from 11,254 in 2023 (4.1%) to 15,403 (5.4%) in 2024. This is an increase of 4,149 people (+36.9%). This is in the context of a rise in overall numbers of employees in the public sector in that year.
Overall, the public sector exceeded the minimum statutory employment target for people with disabilities for the fourteenth successive year.
The NDA acknowledges the continued improvement in the public sector’s performance. However, we continue to advise public bodies that they need to meet or exceed the minimum 6% in 2025 by developing and enhancing Equal, Diverse and Inclusive (EDI) work cultures, that focus on increasing the recruitment and retention of persons with disabilities and supporting employees with disabilities to be more comfortable in sharing their disability status.