UK disability pay gap continues to create disadvantage for disabled individuals

Despite ongoing efforts to close the disability pay gap, progress remains stagnant at 12.7% due to a series of interconnected barriers that create a continuous cycle of disadvantage for disabled individuals.

Gender is currently the only protected characteristic that has mandatory pay gap reporting. We are seeing slow, minor, but positive influences on gender parity in the workplace since the introduction of mandatory pay gap reporting, but the effects are not being replicated for other minority groups.

The domino effect begins with education roadblocks, where limited access to education and vocational training restricts opportunities for skill development. This leads to job segregation, trapping many disabled individuals in lower-paying roles and industries.

The lack of workplace adjustments further exacerbates the issue, as insufficient accommodations hinder performance and career advancement. Persistent bias and discrimination reinforce stereotypes, making it difficult for disabled individuals to break through the invisible ceiling.

Compounding these challenges are insufficient support systems, which fail to provide the necessary resources for employment success. Finally, policy and economic challenges create broader systemic issues that hinder meaningful change. Together, these barriers form a cycle that perpetuates the disability pay gap, highlighting the need for comprehensive and coordinated efforts to address each stage of this domino effect.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities falls on 3 December with 185 countries set to join the UN in recognising the day. The day should nudge industry and business leaders to discuss how they are ensuring their organisations are inclusive to people with disabilities and how they are contributing to the effort to close the disability pay gap.

Making amendments to the workplace does not only benefit colleagues with disabilities, as many changes can benefit the entire workforce. For instance, implementing flexible working not just by location but by hours too benefits disabled colleagues by allowing them to adjust their working hours or location, in line with energy levels or treatment appointments, but can also benefit the wider workforce in similar ways and create a better work life balance.

Making a workplace accessible for those with disabilities can indirectly positively impact colleagues, as well as potentially neurodivergent staff. For example, having side rooms means that deaf or hard of hearing colleagues can have more productive meetings. Colleagues without disabilities could similarly use this space to avoid disrupting others when attending online calls.

Workplace adjustments implemented by employers that make a difference also include comprehensive reasonable adjustment policies, providing necessary accommodations such as assistive technologies. The UK government’s Access to Work scheme provides grants for assistive technology, travel costs, and support workers. This scheme has enabled many disabled individuals to enter and remain in the workforce by removing practical barriers.

Ensuring adequate adjustments are made can help improve overall job satisfaction and productivity among disabled employees and the wider workforce. A study by the University of Warwick found that happiness led to a 12% spike in productivity, while unhappy workers proved 10% less productive. Companies with high employee engagement also often perform better financially. According to an "Engage for Success" report by the UK government, companies with high engagement levels had 18% higher productivity and 12% higher profitability . There is also a direct correlation between employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction with high employee engagement firms scoring 30% higher in customer satisfaction that those with low employee engagement, according to research by the Institute of Customer Service.