Disabled people on the labour market in 2016

This report presents some figures for disabled people and their connection to the labour market, based on an ad hoc module of questions to the Labour Force Survey (LFS) in the second quarter of 2016. Approximately 18 per cent of the population aged 15-66 reported to have a disability, defined as long-term health problems. 44 per cent of them held a job, approximately the same level as in the preceding three years. For the whole population aged 15-66, the corresponding rate was 73 per cent, down one percentage point from the second quarter of 2015. For disabled people aged 15-24, however, the employment rate has decreased from 2013 to 2016, in accordance with the trend for young people in total.

More than one half of the employees have jobs which have been adapted to their disability, in accordance with the figures since 2007. Compared with 2002 there has been an increase by 12 percentage points.

Twenty-four per cent of disabled people without employment wanted to be employed in the second quarter of 2016. For the whole population aged 15-66, the corresponding rate was 32 per cent.

Not all people wanting work are classified as unemployed, according to the criteria on active job seeking and availability for a job. In the second quarter of 2016, 29 per cent of disabled people wanting work were classified as unemployed. Compared to the second quarter of 2015, the unemployment increased among disabled men, from 3.7 to 6.0 per cent.