Mind the Disability Pay Gap (DPG)

The Office of National Statistics has published new data around the disability pay gap.

The DPG is calculated by comparing the median hourly earnings of non-disabled employees versus the median hourly earnings of disabled employees.

Headline points include:

• the DPG has increased by 2.1% since 2014

• The DPG is wider among men than women

• Wales fared better than the other UK nations, with a gap of 11.6%

• Scotland fared worse than the other UK nations, with a gap of 18.5%

• Disabled employees who were most limited in their day to day activities had a wider DPG than employees who were least limited in their day to day activities

• Employees suffering from autism had the widest DPG compared to employees with other types of impairment

This is obviously not ideal and highlights some of the disadvantages suffered by disabled employees at work.

Things that employers can do to reduce the DPG include:

• Reviewing their own DPG;
• Talking with disabled employees to ensure they offer appropriate adjustments;
• Offering tailored training to help disabled employees progress up the ranks.