Why is The Disability Employment Rate NI Worse Than Any Other in the U.K.?

The disability employment rate NI currently stands at about 38%. The employment gap between disabled and non-disabled people in Northern Ireland is higher than in other regions of the U.K.

Why?

Let’s discuss. 

Inaccessibility of Recruitment Processes

One of the biggest reasons that disabled people struggle to get jobs in Northern Ireland is the inaccessibility of the recruitment processes. Many recruitment processes are designed only with non-disabled, physically able, neurotypical people in mind. This leaves out a massive percentage of the population.

This isn’t something only occurring in Northern Ireland, it is a trend within inaccessibility across the UK. But, for some reason, the statistics surrounding this problem hit NI the hardest. The disability employment gap is the largest in NI than in any other region.

For disabled people to have the same opportunity as non-disabled people to get a job, there need to be alternative formats of forms and applications, reasonable adjustments to interview spaces, and vetting of decision-makers for bias. If someone cannot even get an application form that allows them to fairly apply for a job or they cannot physically access the room in which an interview is being held, they have no fair chance of being recruited. There are too many roadblocks to accessible hiring right from the beginning and this is reflected in the statistics we see. 

Social Stigma and Unconscious Bias 

Unfortunately, there is still remaining social stigma and unconscious bias toward disabled people in Northern Ireland. Many people who are making recruitment and employment decisions are doing so from a place of bias against disabled people. Even if they are not fully aware of it themselves.

The narrative surrounding disabled people has often been that they are vulnerable, fragile, and unable to do the things that non-disabled people can do. This has led to many people developing unconscious biases that disabled people won’t be able to do certain jobs or perform well in certain roles. Such unconscious biases lead to less frequent hiring of disabled people and discriminatory practices within workplaces.

To really see a change in the disability employment figures in Northern Ireland, we need to see growth not only in practical terms, such as physical accessibility but also in the general public’s mindsets regarding disabled people. 

Awareness and learning are the best two antidotes for this problem.

Lack of Funding 

As Northern Ireland is the smallest region of the UK, it receives less funding and has a generally smaller budget than the others. The amount of funding available for training, accessibility changes, and schemes is less than it should be. 

The current social situation in the UK is so exclusive and inaccessible to disabled people that it takes a lot of money to fix the problem. For NI, that money can be trickier to come by. 

There are options available, such as the NI Access to Work scheme, but for true equity, more funds are needed to help disabled people in employment. Northern Ireland is often excluded from schemes available in the rest of the UK, such as the new grants to help autistic people into employment. This can be disappointing for disabled people in NI. 

Fewer Resources

As we mentioned in the previous section, Northern Ireland is often left out of resource division. Tools that are made available in the rest of the UK often exclude NI. This directly impacts the opportunities available for disabled people in the country. 

At Careers with Disabilities, we believe in fair opportunities for everyone. We have sources of support, advice, and guidance for disabled people all across the UK. You can check out our Disability Advice Hub amongst the rest of the resources on our site for more information. 

We also have a live disability-friendly job board on which you can find inclusive opportunities for disabled people across the UK. We want to help as many disabled people as possible connect with inclusive jobs and disability-friendly employers. 

Everyone deserves the same chances in employment.