A new study shows that remote work enhances job opportunities for people with disabilities
A new study shows that remote work enhances job opportunities for people with disabilities
By Kit Eaton | Published: 2025-10-31 12:40:00 | Source: Inc.com
DEI language may not be currently preferred, but a New report from SHRMThe nation’s largest human resources trade association reports that the U.S. workforce has become more diverse since the Covid pandemic effectively ended in 2021. The sudden change has happened almost by default, but SHRM data shows there has been a massive increase in the numbers of people with disabilities participating in the workplace — due in part to the shift toward hybrid and remote work.
In fact, SHRM says rates have reached a “historic high.” The organization notes that as of July this year, “nearly 25% of people with disabilities participated in the workforce,” adding that the numbers represent a 30% increase since the start of the Covid pandemic. The increasing numbers are partly due to the shift to remote work that has “reduced traditional barriers to employment,” and the Society for Human Resource Management also notes that research shows that “workers with disabilities are more likely to work fully remotely than their non-disabled counterparts.”
One interesting factor in this growth is that it may be skewed toward young people with disabilities: Labor force participation of people in this group between the ages of 16 and 24 has increased nearly 60 percent since February 2020, according to the Society for Human Resource Management, which is above average growth. This may mesh seamlessly with the technological skills of digital-first groups.
Of course, the rise in participation of people with disabilities in the workforce is not evenly spread, and data shows that it is lowest in occupations such as “life practitioners, physical and social sciences, health care, and technical roles,” and high in work such as building maintenance and grounds cleaning. The report suggests that this could be linked to lower barriers to entry into these types of work. This may be a representation, the association says, of the ongoing societal challenges faced by people with disabilities, including “higher rates of unemployment and lower educational attainment compared to those without disabilities.”
However, the positive note here is that the surge in participation numbers provides “a vital opportunity for employers to address persistent labor shortages,” the Society for Human Resource Management report says, adding that the data should serve as a call for HR teams and companies to continue to recruit and develop workers with disabilities. The research shows that having inclusive hiring habits, combined with flexible or remote working models, can help “foster a more diverse and competitive economic environment.”
The takeaways from this data for your company are very clear. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) report indicates that workers with disabilities now make up nearly 5% of the total employed workforce – that’s one in 20 people. If your company’s benefits and work models are not disability-friendly, your hiring process may skip talented and valuable workers without addressing the pool of potential job candidates.
But there is much more value in hiring people with disabilities, starting with presenting a positive image that can enhance a company’s reputation – a recent report suggests this characteristic may be more important than ever when it comes to attracting candidates.
Meanwhile, a 2018 study of 140 US companies was conducted by the consulting giant Accenture It found that companies that employ people with disabilities reported 28 percent higher average revenues than companies without this policy, and their profit margins were 30 percent higher. Data also shows that if an employee with a disability is happy in their workplace, they tend to stay with their employer longer than people without disabilities. This can lead to cost savings over time, due to lower employee turnover.
To support your workers with disabilities, it’s also important to remember that there is more work to be done. Reports show that a third of people in this group experience workplace discrimination in one form or another, including a quarter who say the discrimination started with the people conducting the interviews, and 12% who said they had difficulty even getting to an interview.
The other fact to remember is that there is much broader support for hybrid and remote work models than you might have thought. Offering this to your workers is known to be good for business as well as being a good incentive, and as SHRM data shows, it also has benefits for workers with disabilities.
(tags for translation) ADA
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