AUTUMN 2022 DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS When it comes to disability employment, there is still much work for employers to do Disability and health are key issues for small businesses, which are more likely than larger businesses to employ disabled people and those aged over 50, who are more likely to have a health condition. Across all sizes of employer, however, disability employment lags behind non-disabled employment for reasons that include: lower educational outcomes for disabled people; inaccessibility of essential infrastructure, such as transport; direct and indirect discrimination from employers, colleagues and customers; and the impact ill health can have on performance at work or running a business. Work needs to be done to incentivise the recruitment of disabled workers Disabled people in work are more likely to go into self-employment than non-disabled people in work. While, sometimes, this option is because of a lack of appropriate employment prospects, many disabled entrepreneurs have chosen self-employment to fill a gap in the market, to disrupt a sector, or simply to have control over their own time. Key statistics n 25% of small business owners are disabled or have a health condition n 23% of business owners who are disabled or have a health condition have experienced discrimination or negative treatment n 24% of small business owners say they have a mental health condition n 34% of small business owners say their mental health has declined over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic n 51% of small business employers have employed a disabled person or someone with a health condition in the past three years n 91% of small business employers offer flexible working, rising to 97% of those who employ a disabled person n The total cost of sickness for small businesses in the past year was 5bn n 54% of small business employers believe the government should cover statutory sick pay costs or implement a full rebate for small firms. Despite the prevalence of disabled people and those with a health condition entering self-employment, support for them to start and grow their business is lacking. Disabled entrepreneurs are less likely to use business support than their non-disabled counterparts, with the absence of accessibility of many traditional forms of support being a key barrier. So, work needs to be done to incentivise the recruitment of disabled workers otherwise, previous disadvantage risks become a permanent penalty. Banks, local government, and professional advisers must consider their offer to disabled people, but support should also be delivered through channels more commonly used by disabled entrepreneurs, such as peer networks. The Department for Work and Pensions disability enterprise offer also needs to be improved if the government wants to create a new culture of enterprise. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSBs) report Business without barriers seeks to identify the issues that affect disabled business owners and disabled potential business owners. It focuses on measures to tackle the stark employment disparity, and says its findings and recommendations could lead to: n Reduced sickness absence within small businesses n Reduced demand on the NHS n Improved individual health and wellbeing through work n Increased economic output n A more inclusive and diverse workforce. Among its recommendations are that: The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy set a target to grow the number of disabled entrepreneurs by 100,000 by 2025, and by more than 250,000 by 2030. It should also produce conditionspecific Pathways to Entrepreneurship strategies, to address the barriers faced by those with different conditions. The UK government require major banks to measure and publish the proportion of loans given to disabled entrepreneurs. The UK government address the critical gap in enterprise data by exploring the collection of disability data points in government data such as through the Small Business Survey and adding a voluntary tick box to the VAT and annual returns forms submitted to Companies House. The FSB website has a series of webinars outlining how to make your business more inclusive/accessible, support and advice for disabled entrepreneurs wishing to start or grow their business, and interviews with disabled business owners or those employing disabled people. Credit: Karen Woolley, development manager, Federation of Small Businesses Image: iStock / Yulia Sutyagina There are also resources to help you understand how to make reasonable adjustments within your business and improve your website accessibility, plus a free accessibility audit template. For further information, please contact your local Trading Standards Service