TUC urges government to tackle pay gap

The TUC has called for urgent legislation to tackle the growing disability pay gap, following new analysis that shows non-disabled people typically earn a sixth (17.2%) more than disabled workers.

The pay gap, which increased from 16.5% in 2021, is equivalent to £3,731 a year and means disabled people effectively work 54 days annually without pay, the TUC said.

The research also shows that disabled women face the biggest pay gap, of 35% compared to non-disabled men, while the gap persists throughout a workers’ career, growing from 65p an hour at age 20 to £3.55 an hour for disabled workers in their early 40s.

The gap is biggest in financial and industrial services, at 39%, followed by agriculture, forestry and fishing, then mining, administration and support services.

Disabled workers are also more likely to be excluded from the job market, with unemployment most likely among BAME disabled people.

“It’s time to introduce mandatory disability pay gap reporting to shine a light on inequality at work. Without this, millions of disabled workers will be consigned to years of lower pay and in-work poverty,” TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady commented.