People with a learning disability are far less likely to have a job than the general population.
- 6% of adults with a learning disability known to their local authority in England are in paid work (NHS Digital 2018)
- 17% of all adults with a learning disability in England are in paid work (Emerson and Hatton 2008)
- 52% of people aged 16 to 64 with any type of disability in Great Britain are in paid work (ONS 2019a)
- 76% of people aged 16 to 64 in the general population in England are in paid work (ONS 2019b).
6% of adults with a learning disability known to their local authority in England are in paid work (NHS Digital 2018)
4.2% of adults with a learning disability were in employment in Scotland in 2018 (SCLD 2018)
The Welsh government does not publish data on how many people with a learning disability in Wales are in paid work. However, the Labour Force Survey (LFS) provides data on the economic activity of people in Wales aged 16-64 who have a disability according to the Equality Act 2010 definition of disability. The LFS found that 47.3% of adults with a disability in Wales were employed in 2018, compared to 80.6% of people who were not disabled (StatsWales 2019).
The Northern Irish government does not publish data on how many people with a learning disability in Northern Ireland are in paid work. However, the LFS provides data on the economic activity of people in Northern Ireland aged 16-64 who describe themselves as having a long-term disability (NISRA 2018).The LFS found that 34.9% of people with a disability in Northern Ireland were employed in 2018, compared to 80.1% of people who were not disabled (NISRA 2018)
The proportion of adults with a learning disability in paid employment varies by region.
London and Eastern regions have the highest proportion of adults with a learning disability known to their local authority in paid employment, at 7.5% in both, closely followed by Yorkshire and the Humber, at 7.4% (NHS Digital 2018).
In England, a higher proportion of men with a learning disability known to their local authority (6.6%) are in paid employment than women with a learning disability known to their local authority (5.2%) (NHS Digital 2018).
There is very little current data on the proportion of all adults with a learning disability who have paid jobs in England, but past studies have suggested that about 17% of all working age people with a learning disability have a paid job (Emerson & Hatton 2008)
In 2008, Emerson and Hatton estimated that:
17% of all working age people with a learning disability had a paid job.
28% of working age people with a mild or moderate learning disability had a job
10% of working age people with a severe learning disability had a job
0% of working age people with profound and multiple learning disabilities had a job
Research references
Here you'll find full referencing for the Mencap research and statistics pages.