The Business Case for Hiring People With Disabilities

Our employer’s guide explores the business case for hiring people with disabilities, including strategies to attract and retain diverse candidates.

According to the WHO, 1 in 6 of the world’s population experience significant disability. 

People with disabilities make up a significant portion of the population and represent a diverse group of different ages, gender identities, races, ethnicities, and religions. As such, they bring unique perspectives, experiences, and skills to the table.

Unfortunately, the disability employment gap in the UK and worldwide remains too wide. 

This guide for employers dives into the business benefits of employing and promoting candidates with disabilities. From better decision-making to increased customer engagement. 

In the next five minutes, you’ll learn:

• Key statistics about disability inclusion
• The business case for hiring people with disabilities
• Tried-and-tested strategies to attract and retain disabled candidates 

First up: We look at some essential stats about disabilities in 2024.

Statistics About Disabilities

As an employer, it’s your responsibility to understand the disability inclusion landscape to ensure you’re doing everything in your power to become disability-confident.  

The Employment Gap still remains in the UK

Research shows that 5.15 disabled adults had employment in the period from January to March 2023. And while this is an increase from 2021, the employment rate remained at 53.7%. 

When we compare this to the employment rate for people without disabilities (82.7%), it’s clear more work needs to be done. (Source: UK Parliament)

50% of UK Employers wouldn’t hire someone with a neurodivergent condition

People with neurological and mental health conditions have the highest unemployment rates. 

Worryingly, a survey revealed that 50% of employers in the UK stated that they wouldn’t employ someone with a neurodivergent condition. (Source: UKS Mobility)

Many UK employees have to push for workplace adjustments

Despite many employers claiming to provide reasonable workplace adjustments, the data suggests otherwise.

According to the the report, 78% of disabled employees that they had to initiate the process of getting adjustments (not their employer). 

More concerningly, 56% said they still experience disability-related barriers in the workplace after these adjustments are implemented. (Source: Disability Forum)

These stats highlight how important it is for organisations to simplify their workplace adjustments process and offer more inclusion training for managers. In doing so, you can help to remove disability-related barriers in your business and ensure that every employee has an equal opportunity to succeed.

In the next section, we break down the benefits of disability inclusion for your business. 

Benefits of Hiring People With Disabilities

Being an equal opportunities employer is the right thing to do. But there’s also a strong business case for employing people with disabilities.

For instance, companies that hire people with disabilities can tap into a diverse talent pool with unique skills. As a result, they can better connect with their audience and boost profitability. After all, there are over 16 million people living with a disability in the UK. 

Here are some of the biggest advantages of employing people with disabilities:

• Access a wider talent pool so your organisation can find the right candidates to grow your business
• Cultivate an inclusive workplace culture that boosts employee morale and job satisfaction (this, in turn, reduces staff turnover and increases productivity)
• Tap into specialist skills, knowledge, and experiences to get a competitive edge. For instance, employees with disabilities have a strong understanding of disabled customers’ needs as well as creative problem-solving skills.
• Reduce staff turnover. Studies show that employees with disabilities tend to stay in jobs longer, cutting your recruitment and training costs and ensuring you keep highly-trained professionals.
• Enhance employee branding efforts. Inclusion is an important consideration for many job seekers, so being a disability-friendly organisation can help you attract more candidates.
• Comply with UK laws. Under the Equality Act 2010, your business has an obligation to promote inclusion and fairness in the workplace. 
• Attract a wider audience of customers. Being a disability-confident employer could open your business up to a more diverse audience of customers with different needs and abilities. 

There’s a common misconception that accommodating workplace adjustments is too costly for employers. However, the reality is that these costs are generally low and a worthwhile investment when you consider the payoff.

Extra reading: Advantages Of Remote Work For Disabled Employees 

The Best Ways to Recruit Employees With Disabilities

The business case is clear. So, the big question is how can you attract more candidates with disabilities to your company?

Here are some simple strategies for hiring people with disabilities.

Craft accessible job adverts

According to UK anti-discrimination laws, your business must make job listings accessible to everyone who can do the job. 

To ensure your job ads meet these accessibility requirements, try the following advice:

• Enhance readability by using a font that is large enough and easy to read
• Ensure your job ad doesn’t overlook any section of the community – this means avoiding criteria that automatically exclude a certain group
• Clearly state that your company welcomes applications from every section of the community
• Highlight your equal opportunities policy
• Provide alternative application options to accommodate different needs (eg. a paper and digital form)
• Offer a point of contact in case applicants want to discuss reasonable adjustments

An excellent way to make sure your listings meet these criteria is to invest in Job Advert Inclusivity Screening. 

At Careers with Disabilities, our disability inclusion experts assess your job ads against our industry-recognised Inclusive Language Checklist. 

We will then provide you with an overall score and detailed feedback to help you craft accessible ads that meet anti-discrimination standards and best practices.

Understand the law surrounding interview questions

It’s important to note that employers cannot ask candidates about their health until they have offered a job, except in the following circumstances:

• to understand if they require reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process
• to confirm that they can carry out the job
• when monitoring whether applicants have a disability (this must be anonymous)

Some common adjustments you can make during the interview process include:

• Allowing applicants extra time to complete assignments
• Adjusting the room layout or lighting
• Ensuring your premises are accessible 

Related content: How To Become A Disability Confident Employer [2024] 

Advertise your roles on a Disability-friendly job board

Undoubtedly, the best way to attract more disabled candidates is to use specialist job boards. Many candidates prefer to use disability-friendly job boards because it gives them the peace of mind that the employers they connect with are inclusive and understanding.

As a result, they feel more confident to apply for roles and progress through the selection process.

Start Connecting With Top Talent Today

Careers with Disabilities is one of the UK’s leading job sites for disabled job seekers. That’s why some of the UK’s top inclusive employers choose to promote their roles on our disability-friendly job board.

We help connect your business with 10,000+ highly qualified disabled candidates, widening your talent pipeline and helping you build an inclusive workforce. 

What’s more, our free resource hub and blog provide guides and advice on how to become a recognised disability-friendly employer.

Start making a difference today, promote your job roles with us.