Disabled older workers often experience \u2018double prejudice\u2019 in the workplace, leaving them at greater risk of exclusion and missed opportunities compared to their peers, a survey by charity Centre for Ageing Better has revealed.<\/p>\n
The research found almost half (44 per cent) of disabled people aged 50 to 66 had experienced negative treatment when applying for jobs or promotions in the past five years, compared to 25 per cent of non-disabled people in the same age group.<\/p>\n
Most (69 per cent) respondents felt being older was a disadvantage in the UK job market, while three quarters (75 per cent) thought having a disability or a health condition put applicants at a disadvantage, the study of 1,017 UK adults found.<\/p>\n
Disability discrimination workplace disputes rise by a third in past year<\/a><\/p>\n Two in five disabled workers face bullying, discrimination and harassment at work, TUC poll finds<\/a><\/p>\n Discrimination and harassment claims reach all-time high, research finds<\/a><\/p>\n Rebecca Lines, project and change manager for work at the Centre for Ageing Better, said the UK labour market was \u201cfailing\u201d older disabled people.<\/p>\n \u201cDisabled older workers told our researchers how they are navigating a constant minefield, weighing up whether to declare health conditions, how to ask for adjustments and how to present themselves in a labour market that often overlooks them or undervalues them,\u201d she said, explaining that this takes a toll on confidence, wellbeing and long-term health.\u00a0<\/p>\n Impact of employers overlooking disabled older employees<\/p>\n James Taylor, director of strategy at disability equality charity Scope, agreed, adding that disabled people\u2019s skills and talents were regularly \u201coverlooked\u201d by employers, which he said contributed to lower employment levels.<\/p>\n \u201cThis means it is much harder for disabled people to get into, stay in and progress in work. It\u2019s why the disability employment gap \u2013 the comparative employment rate for disabled and non-disabled people \u2013 has been stuck at around 30 percentage points for more than a decade,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Closing this gap among older workers would bring around 192,000 more people into the labour market, generating an estimated \u00a313bn in gross domestic product (GDP) a year and \u00a32.5bn in additional income tax and national insurance revenues, the report found.\u00a0<\/p>\n The unemployment rate for those with disabilities was 6.9 per cent in Q2 2024, compared to 3.6 per cent for non-disabled people, according to the Department for Work and Pensions<\/a>.<\/p>\n Benefits of staying in work<\/p>\n Despite higher unemployment rates among disabled people, keeping older employees boosts GDP, expands the talent pool for employers and supports their wellbeing.\u00a0<\/p>\n