The Department for Work and Pensions has published its yearly deep dive into how disabled people are doing in the jobs market, and the picture is mixed.
On the plus side, 5.6 million disabled people were in work in April to June 2026, up 150,000 on a year earlier. But the gap between disabled and non-disabled people’s employment rates is still stuck at nearly 30 percentage points, roughly where it’s been for years. And the number of disabled people who are unemployed, meaning looking for work but without a job, has risen sharply since before the pandemic.
These figures land at a sensitive time. The Timms Review of PIP and the Milburn review of young people and work are both due to report this autumn, and ministers keep saying they want to help more disabled people into jobs. Here’s what the latest numbers actually say.
The headline numbers
These figures cover working-age people in the UK, for April to June 2026 unless noted.
| Measure | Disabled people | Non-disabled people |
|---|---|---|
| Employment rate | 53% | 82.4% |
| Number in work | 5.6 million | — |
| Unemployment rate | 8.7% | about half that |
| Employment gap | 29.4 percentage points | — |
Compared with a year earlier, the disability employment rate edged up 0.2 points and the gap narrowed by 0.3 points. But DWP itself says neither change is statistically significant, so in plain English: nothing has really moved. DWP also says it’s too early to tell whether the 150,000 rise in disabled people in work marks a return to the long-term upward trend.
Not everyone reads the numbers the same way. Disability News Service pointed out that the annual figures for 2025-26, which aren’t in the main summary, show the gap widening from 26.8 to 28 points over the year.
Unemployment has climbed since 2019
The number of disabled people who are unemployed rose from 319,000 in April to June 2019 to 534,000 in the same period of 2026, an increase of 215,000. Over that time the unemployment rate for disabled people went from 7.3% to 8.7%.
And when disabled people do lose work, they tend to stay out longer. In 2025-26, 15.1% of unemployed disabled people had been out of work for two years or more, compared with 8.2% of non-disabled people.
More people out of the workforce altogether
“Economically inactive” means not working and not looking for work. The number of disabled people in that group rose by 751,000, from 3.4 million in 2018-19 to 4.2 million in 2025-26. Disabled people now make up 47.4% of everyone who’s inactive, up from 38.7%.
Long-term sickness is the main reason for 59.6% of them. But here’s a figure that often gets missed: 24.1% of inactive disabled people say they’d like a job, up 3.6 points in two years.
Who’s furthest behind
The gap isn’t the same for everyone. The DWP figures show it’s much wider for some groups:
- Type of condition: People whose main condition is a mental health problem have an employment rate of 47.2%, compared with 59% for musculoskeletal conditions. The lowest rate is for severe or specific learning difficulties, at 32.7%.
- Several conditions: 66.1% of people with one condition are in work, falling to 32.3% for those with five or more.
- Young autistic people: Only 32.6% of disabled people with autism aged 18 to 34 are employed.
- Age: The gap is widest for people aged 50 to 64 (33.1 points) and narrowest for 18 to 24 year olds (22.1 points).
- Qualifications: The gap is 37.8 points for people with no qualifications, but 12.8 points for graduates.
- Housing: Social renters face a gap of 44.5 points, compared with 15.3 for homeowners.
There’s also a striking difference by area. Northern Ireland, the North West, Scotland, Wales, the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber and the West Midlands all have gaps above the UK average. At local level, West Lancashire’s gap is 50.2 points, while Teignbridge in Devon’s is just 3.8.
One quieter positive: disabled women are now slightly more likely to be in work than disabled men (54.8% vs 53.7% in 2025-26), after their employment rate rose 11.6 points since 2013-14.
What this means if you’re disabled and looking for work
The numbers don’t change anything for individual claimants on their own. But they’re likely to shape the next round of welfare decisions, so here’s what’s worth knowing:
- You can work and still get PIP. PIP isn’t based on whether you work or how much you earn.
- Access to Work can help. This DWP grant can pay for equipment, support workers or travel if your condition makes work harder.
- Ask your Jobcentre about a Disability Employment Adviser if you’re on Universal Credit and want tailored help.
- Keep an eye on the Timms and Milburn reports. Both are expected this autumn, and they’ll set the direction for PIP and support for young disabled people.
More disabled people in work is good news. But a gap that’s barely moved in years shows how far there still is to go.
Sources: GOV.UK: The employment of disabled people 2026 and Disability News Service via Newsbeep.
Maria is a dedicated news writer covering the latest UK updates on DWP, PIP, State Pension Triple Lock, Child Benefit, Universal Credit, and driving licence regulations. She focuses on explaining government announcements, benefit eligibility, payment changes, pension increases, and new regulations in a clear and easy-to-understand way.