The current disability pay gap for employees in the UK stands at 20%, according to research by the Trades Union Congress (TUC).
The Disability employment and pay gap 2020 report, published October 2020, which based its findings on disabled men and women in employment in the UK, found that disabled female employees are the most affected by this gap, earning 36% less than non-disabled male counterparts.
On average, non-disabled male employees earn £2.15 more (£13.88), compared to disabled male employees that are paid £11.80 per hour. Non-disabled female employees earn £1.53 more (£11.73) per hour compared to disabled female employees that earn £10.20 per hour.
The disability pay gap is at its highest in the East of England, currently standing at 21%, followed by Wales at 18%. Over half (53%) of disabled people are working, compared to 82% of non-disabled people.
TUC believes that the government should introduce a mandatory disability pay gap report for organisations with more than 50 employees to address this issue.
Frances O’Grady, general secretary at TUC, 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 is now a very real danger that the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic will make the situation even worse. Disabled staff 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 are not able to work from home can get help from the job support scheme at 80% of their pay.
“Otherwise we risk swathes of disabled staff 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.”