DISABLED workers now earn a fifth less than non-disabled workers, according to analysis published by the TUC.
The analysis found that the pay gap for disabled workers has widened to £3,800 per year – an increase of £800 over the last year for someone working a 35-hour week.
Disabled women also face the biggest pay gap. They are paid on average 36% less than non-disabled men.
About half of disabled people are in work, compared to more than four-fifths of non-disabled people – a gap of 28 percentage points.
TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Disabled women and men face huge and growing discrimination. They are far less likely to have a paid job than their non-disabled peers – and when they do, they earn substantially less.
“There’s now a very real danger that coronavirus will make the situation even worse. Disabled workers and those shielding are an easy target for the redundancy list.
“People who need to shield must not be thrown out of work. And the Government must make sure that people who are shielding and can’t work from home can get help from the job support scheme at 80% of their wages.
“Otherwise we risk swathes of disabled people losing their jobs. That will result in significant hardship and will turn back the clock on the decades of slow but steady progress disabled people have made in the labour market.”
The TUC wants the Government to bring in mandatory disability pay gap reporting for all employers with more than 50 employees.
The legislation should be accompanied by a duty on employers to produce targeted action plans identifying the steps they will take to address any gaps identified, including ensuring disabled workers with invisible impairments feel confident in completing workplace equality monitoring.
