As part of Disability Pride Month, I recently recorded a video with our AMS D&I Alliance Partner, Jane Hatton, CEO and Founder of Evenbreak. Evenbreak has developed an accessible job board that connects disabled candidates with inclusive employers. They also provide consulting services to businesses aiming to attract more disabled talent.

Challenges Faced by Disabled Job Seekers:

• Prevalence: Nearly one in four of the working-age population in the UK is classified as disabled.
• Employment Rate: The employment rate among disabled people is 53%, significantly lower than the 83% rate for non-disabled people (Economics Observatory).
• Pay Gap: Disabled employees in the UK earn about 14% less per hour on average than their non-disabled counterparts (ONS, 2021).
• Job Application Barriers: 64% of graduates with disabilities find it difficult or very difficult to apply for jobs due to disability-related barriers (Business Disability Forum).
• Impact of COVID-19: While COVID-19 has led to more flexible work patterns, providing more opportunities for disabled people, significant accessibility and adjustment challenges remain.

As you can see, there is still much work to be done to support disabled job seekers. Organisations like the Valuable 500 have done phenomenal work over the last few years to raise awareness of disability challenges on Board agendas. Evenbreak is also delivering excellent services to many organisations looking to become more accessible for disabled talent.

At AMS, we are proud of the progress we have made in recent years around our focus on disability. We have more to do, but in partnership with Evenbreak, we are committed to continuing to move forward.