Comment by IanCharlesworth, Shaw Trust Managing Director

In April 2001 the number of people unemployed and claimingJob Seekers Allowance (JSA) fell below 1 million for the first time since thelate 1970s. Included in the 995,000 claiming JSA are 200,000 people withdisabilities. These figures pale in comparison with the 3.2 million peopleclaiming long-term sickness and disability benefits.

Overall, we now have a labour market with less than 800,000people without a disability or health problem, who are unemployed and lookingfor work, and 3.4 million people with health and disability problemspotentially available for work. It is estimated that the numbers of this lattergroup who could, and want to work varies between 1.5 million and 2 million.That is, double the number of people without disabilities.

In an ever-tightening labour market, it makes sense foremployers to look at their recruitment and training policies with regard todisabled people. The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) provides a frameworkin which employers have to work, but many of the more enlightened employers arenow radically reviewing their policies and practices with regard to people withhealth and sickness problems.

It is estimated that long-term sickness costs British industry12 billion and benefit payments to people on health and disability benefitsnow exceed the cost of the NHS, and double the amount we spend on schools. Theonly rational explanation for this appalling situation is the prejudice anddiscrimination which disabled people have suffered in all aspects of the labourmarket, with the public sector, in particular, being one of the worst culprits.

Indeed, even now, we still have a situation in which thepoliticians and Civil Servants still seem reluctant to acknowledge the scale ofthe problem or invest anywhere near the amount needed to tackle the issues. The195m initially invested in the New Deal for Disabled People, out of the 3.5bwindfall the government allocated to the New Deal clearly illustrates thispoint.

The lukewarm, half-hearted and unambitious extension to theNew Deal and the Modernisation of the Supported Employment Programme toWorkstep with its small increase in available places only emphasises thispoint. What is needed is commitment frompoliticians, civil servants, trade unionists, employers, voluntaryorganisations, parents and social carers to redress the gross injustice,discrimination and prejudice that so many disabled people have suffered overthe years in relation to employment.

The governments Social Exclusion Unit failed to acceptdisability issues as a priority when it was set up. Yet disabled people, shutout of the labour market, represent the largest single excluded group; ifsocial policy researchers are to be believed in their assertion that employmentis a key factor in excluding groups from society.

Perhaps the buoyant economic position of Britain will forcepoliticians, Civil Servants and employers to recognise the plight of disabledpeople who want to work and for the first time in over 100 years actually dosomething about it.

Ian Charlesworth

Shaw Trust Managing Director

September 2001