DOL Begins Releasing Employment Data on People with Disabilities
The Department of Labor (DOL) released, for the first time, employment and unemployment data on individuals with disabilities on February 6, 2009. This information will assist the nation in understanding how changing labor market conditions affect Americans with disabilities. Although it is widely believed that this group typically faces a higher rate of unemployment than individuals without disabilities, official estimates were not available until now.
“Now that so many Americans are suffering job losses, there is a tremendous amount of attention being paid to employment problems and solutions affecting the general population. Americans with disabilities typically experience similar employment difficulties - even when there is a robust economy. The economic downturn may just exacerbate their struggle. These data will go far toward efforts to increase the employment of people with disabilities,” said John Davey, deputy assistant secretary for the department’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP).
ODEP is sponsoring the collection of these data by the department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) using the Current Population Survey (CPS), which provides comprehensive information on the employment status of the civilian, non-institutional population 16 years of age and older. In June 2008, six questions were added to the CPS to satisfy a requirement specified in Executive Order 13078, signed by former President Bill Clinton, to measure the employment status of people with disabilities in the civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and older on a timely basis. The addition of these questions allowed BLS to begin releasing monthly labor force data from the CPS for individuals with a disability. Publication of CPS disability data began in February 2009 with the issuance of labor force data for January 2009. These materials provide information on comparisons with other data sources, variability of the data, and the types of data available.
In January 2009, the employment rate for persons with disabilities was 23.1 percent. The unemployment rate for those with disabilities was 13.2 percent. More statistics can be found at: http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsdisability.htm EXE: http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsdisability.htm.
ODEP is leading a 21st century federal response to the historic underemployment of people with disabilities. In collaboration with other government agencies, public and private employers and additional stakeholders, ODEP facilitates the development and implementation of innovative policies and practices necessary to achieve a fully inclusive workplace. ODEP’s work primarily falls into three categories: employers and the workplace; workforce systems; and employment-related supports, which include education and training, health care, reliable transportation, affordable housing and assistive technology.
Reprinted with permission. © CCH
(Submitted Feb. 10, 2009)
<p>DOL Begins Releasing Employment Data on People with Disabilities The Department of Labor (DOL) released, for the first time, employment and unemployment data on individuals with disabilities on February 6, 2009. This information will assist the nation in understanding how changing</p>
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