The UK Government has launched a new framework to encourage businesses to report how many of their staff have a disability or health condition
Large companies should reveal the numbers of disabled people they employ.
The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work Sarah Newton made the call this week as part of its aims to build a more inclusive society.
With around a fifth of the working age population living with a disability or health condition, the government has launched a new framework to encourage businesses to report how many of their staff have a disability or health condition.
The voluntary framework, created in partnership with employers and charities, will also call on businesses to set out how they are currently supporting their disabled employees.
Newton said: “Employers across the country this month have joined us in celebrating and promoting inclusive workforces as we mark Disability Confident’s anniversary – and embraced the hashtag #IAmConfident to empower people to talk openly about a disability or health condition.
“Our voluntary reporting framework builds on our longstanding commitment to companies to help them in supporting their staff at all levels to create more inclusive workforces as we set out to achieve our ambition of one million more disabled people in work by 2027.”
The move has been welcomed by disablity charity Scope. Director of policy and research Anna Bird said: "This is a watershed moment – we will only be able to tackle disability unemployment if we understand the scale of the problem.
“We frequently hear from disabled people about difficulties they face – from negative attitudes and inaccessible recruitment processes, to inflexible workplaces and difficulties getting adjustments.
“Data on disability is crucial for employers to understand what action they need to take to recruit and retain disabled people.
“The government must ensure that this information shapes future approaches to increasing disability employment. This will be vital in realising the ambition to get one million more disabled people into work by 2027.”
