DWP minister: ‘Disability pay gap marks a decade of lost potential for disabled people’

Today’s latest disability pay gap statistics for 2014 to 2023 make difficult reading and remind us exactly why this government is committed to putting disabled people at the heart of all we do.

With disabled employees paid 12.7% less than non-disabled employees in 2023, a similar pay gap as 2014, there has been a decade of lost potential which we are determined to tackle.  

We know that, on average, disabled workers are paid less than non-disabled workers, and are twice as likely as non-disabled people to be unemployed. It is simply wrong that these gaps exist.

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With over nine million people economically inactive in the UK, we need workplaces to be inclusive and to support disabled people and those with long-term ill health. We know that over 40,000 disabled people want to find work. We need to give them the right support.

Encouraging more disabled people into the workplace and supporting their progression widens the talent pool when recruiting, enriches teams’ knowledge and skills, and improves inclusivity. Employers have already done great work in catering for and utilising the huge benefits of a diverse workforce, and we want to work collaboratively to make the labour market even more inclusive.

This government is determined to break down barriers to work, and barriers to progression in work.

We’ve already announced that we are working to introduce the Equality (Race and Disability) Bill, which will finally enshrine into law the full right to equal pay for disabled people. This bill will also introduce a long overdue duty for large employers to report on disability pay gaps, helping employers to identify and address where issues might lie.

Our New Deal for Working People will also change work for disabled workers by boosting wages and making work more secure – ending exploitative zero-hours contracts which we know disabled people are more likely to be on. The Labour Market Advisory Board is also tackling the issues at the heart of the employment challenge we face.  

But employers also have a part to play, and we want to work with them to ensure they can tap into the immense talent disabled people have to offer. 

The Disability Confident scheme is just one way businesses can help us improve the recruitment, retention, and progression of disabled people in work. We will be working with employers to make the scheme more robust.

We can, and must, all play a role in addressing long-standing unfairness here.  I have been discussing this this week with other ministers at the G7 Summit on Inclusion and Disability in Umbria. I am determined to turn the page on inequality for disabled workers, and secure a fairer and stronger economy for all.  

Sir Stephen Timms MP is minister for social security and disability at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

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