nTIDE April 2017 Jobs Report: Upward Trend Continues with Modest Job Gains for Americans with Disabilities
Kessler Foundation and University of New Hampshire release nTIDE Report – Monthly Update
East Hanover, NJ – May 5, 2017. Job gains continued for Americans with disabilities at a more modest rate, according to today’s National Trends in Disability Employment – Monthly Update (nTIDE), issued by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability (UNH-IOD). This encouraging trend has extended to 13 months. Transitioning to civilian employment remains a challenge for many veterans, especially veterans with disabilities. Community-based organizations are succeeding in partnering with businesses to help veterans find competitive jobs.
In the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Jobs Report released Friday, May 5, the employment-to-population ratio for working-age people with disabilities increased from 27.9 percent in April 2016 to 28.2 percent in April 2017 (up 1.1 percent; 0.3 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the employment-to-population ratio also increased from 72.6 percent in April 2016 to 73.6 percent in April 2017 (up 1.4 percent; 1 percentage point). The employment-to-population ratio, a key indicator, reflects the percentage of people who are working relative to the total population (the number of people working divided by the number of people in the total population multiplied by 100).
“The improvement in the proportion of people with disabilities working continues its upward trend for the 13th consecutive month, although the magnitude of the gains is not as great as we have seen recently,” according to John O’Neill, PhD, director of employment and disability research at Kessler Foundation. “This employment growth remains encouraging and shows people with disabilities are striving to work as they move toward pre-Great Recession employment levels,” he added.
The labor force participation rate for working-age people with disabilities increased from 31.6 percent in April 2016 to 32.0 percent in April 2017 (up 1.3 percent; 0.4 percentage points). For working-age people without disabilities, the labor force participation rate also increased from 76.1 percent in April 2016 to 76.6 percent in April 2017 (up 0.7 percent; 0.5 percentage points). The labor force participation rate is the percentage of the population that is working or actively looking for work.
“While the employment gains of people with disabilities did not outpace the employment gains of people without disabilities, labor force participation increased by a greater percentage for people with disabilities. This is a positive sign for the engagement of people with disabilities in the economy,” said Andrew Houtenville, PhD, associate professor of economics at UNH, and research director at the Institute on Disability.
Since May is Military Appreciation Month, our focus is on outreach that benefits veterans with disabilities. The GI Go Fund, a New Jersey-based nonprofit, reaches out into the community to address veterans’ needs for comprehensive services, including jobs. Through partnerships with major corporations and seed funding from Kessler Foundation, 50 veterans with disabilities were placed in home-based customer service positions through their Disabled Veterans to Work Program.
“Because of this Program’s success here in New Jersey, veterans with disabilities are being hired in cities across the U.S.,” said Elaine E. Katz, senior vice president of grants and communications at Kessler Foundation. “Our relationship with the GI Go Fund has also benefited Kessler Foundation’s research into the debilitating symptoms of Gulf War Illness,” she noted. “Studying the effects of Gulf War Illness requires enrolling sufficient numbers of Gulf War-era veterans. With their deep connections to the veteran community, the GI Go Fund has referred many participants, helping our scientists explore the underlying mechanisms for the symptoms of cognitive fatigue in these veterans.”
In April 2017, among workers ages 16-64, the 4,509,000 workers with disabilities represented 3.1 percent of the total 143,930,000 workers in the U.S.
The next nTIDE will be issued on Friday, June 2, 2017.
Kessler Foundation, a major nonprofit organization in the field of disability, is a global leader in rehabilitation research that seeks to improve cognition, mobility, and long-term outcomes -- including employment -- for people with neurological disabilities caused by diseases and injuries of the brain and spinal cord. Kessler Foundation leads the nation in funding innovative programs that expand opportunities for employment for people with disabilities. For more information, visit .