Disabled people ‘effectively working for free for rest of year due to pay gap’

Disabled employees are said to be effectively working for free for the rest of the year from Wednesday because of the disability pay gap.

The TUC has called for urgent action to improve the quality of work and pay for disabled people, as it published analysis suggesting the earnings gap between disabled and non-disabled workers across the UK is around £2.24 an hour.

They said this means disabled employees working 35 hours a week are getting around £4,000 less a year compared with non-disabled workers on average.

While it said this year’s 15.5% disability pay gap is a slight improvement on its 2024 analysis which showed a 17.2% gap, it argued the current situation is still not good enough.

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “Everyone who works for a living deserves to earn a decent living.

“But disabled workers are still waiting for pay parity and fair treatment at work.

“Urgent action is now needed to improve the quality of work and pay for disabled people.

“The Government’s commitment to delivering mandatory pay gap reporting and banning exploitative zero hours contracts are among some of the measures that will make a real difference in disabled people’s working lives.

“It’s important we now see those plans realised as soon as possible.

“We need an economy that allows disabled people to thrive – not one that traps them in poverty.”

The most recent estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), published last year, suggested the disability pay gap in the UK was 12.7% in 2023.

Narrowing

The gap – the difference between the median gross hourly earnings of disabled employees and non-disabled employees – has “remained broadly stable” since 2014, the statistics body said, although the trend suggests a slight narrowing from 13.8% in 2021.

In 2023, disabled employees are estimated to have earned a median of £13.69 per hour while non-disabled employees are likely to have earned a median of £15.69 per hour, the ONS said.

Learning disability charity Mencap said the findings by the TUC on the current pay gap are “unacceptable” and that “for too long disabled people have been shut out of the workforce or paid less”, insisting they should be given the “support they need to get their foot on the ladder”.

James Taylor, director of strategy at disability equality charity Scope, said the latest findings on the pay gap “proves once again the odds are stacked against disabled people at work”.

He added: “Life costs more if you are disabled. Yet fair pay and career progression opportunities are out of reach for many.

“Employers must step up to make workplaces accessible and inclusive, so talented disabled people don’t slip through the cracks.”