England · 2025
57.6%disabled employment rate
An Annual Population Survey estimate for working-age disabled people in 2025.
Employment figures show a wide disability gap. The learning-disability measure shows an even sharper barrier for people receiving long-term adult social-care support.
The key figures
What the evidence shows.
These figures keep their original geography, period and definition attached. Follow each source to see the full release.
Read the sourceONS APS figure reported by local government
England · adult social care · 2024–25
6%in paid employment
6,365 working-age adults receiving long-term learning-disability support were employed among people whose employment status was known.
England and Wales · year ending March 2025
10,224disability hate crimes recorded
This is a joint England and Wales police-recorded figure, not a count of every incident or an England-only total.
Use with care: The 57.6% employment rate is a broad survey estimate. The 6% figure covers a smaller, clearly defined adult social-care group. They answer different questions and should not be compared as though they count the same people.
What this means for Speak To Me
Data shows the barrier. People show us how to change it.
A national percentage cannot tell us what one person wants or needs. Speak directly to disabled people, give them time to answer and include lived experience when decisions are made.
- Speak to the person, not around them.
- Ask what accessible communication looks like for them.
- Build employment pathways with disabled people, not for them.
Official evidence
Sources for England.
Explore the full picture.