Low employment in Ireland rate among those with disabilities

22 Sep 2021 By Ailbhe Conneely

Ireland had the fourth lowest employment rate among people with disabilities of working age in 2018, according to the Economic and Social Research Institute.

The research, commissioned by the National Disability Authority, showed that employment rates among this group did not benefit from the economic recovery following the financial crash to the same extent as other workers.

There was considerable variation in the percentages in employment by disability type in 2016, according to the report.

It noted that 15% of individuals with an intellectual disability were employed that year, compared to 45% of people that reported having 'deafness or a serious hearing impairment'.

While 34% of those with a disability that year had 'blindness or a serious vision impairment'.

The ESRI report also said people with disabilities are more than twice as likely to experience poverty and deprivation as those without disabilities.

The prospect of this worsening following Covid-19 is a concern that has been vocalised by many campaign groups.

The report showed that in 2019, the at-risk of poverty rate for people without disabilities of working age was 11% compared to 23% for people with disabilities.

It said that even people with a disability working full-time experience a higher rate of poverty (16%) than people without a disability (11%).

The report also said that a much smaller percentage of people with disabilities have a third-level qualification.

While the data showed that the percentage of people with a third-level education has increased over time, it said the education gap between people with and without disabilities remains.