Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 18 March 2021
Despite the Government continuing to promise to reduce the gap by at least half, the employment rate for disabled people still sits as low as 47.8 per cent, which compares with 81.3 per cent for those who are not disabled.
The Scottish National Party’s “A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People: employment action plan” sets out an interim target of an employment rate of 60 per cent for disabled people by 2030. To reach that milestone and, ultimately, to halve the gap, the employment rate of disabled people will need to increase by 1 percentage point every year.
Although the Government, having reached 45.6 per cent in 2018, is currently on target, there is concern that the target will be missed because the pandemic has disproportionately affected disabled workers. What further steps will the Government take to ensure that disabled people are supported during Scotland’s economic recovery?