STATE HOUSE, BOSTON — More people with disabilities are joining the state's workforce, but an economist has sounded the alarm about inequities as he outlined how unemployment rates vary widely in cities throughout Massachusetts.
A person with visual impairments works on a computer featuring Braille display and a screen reader in connection with a Massachusetts Easterseals' assistive technology program. The rise of remote work during and after the pandemic increased job opportunities for some individuals with disabilities.
The labor participation rate for people with disabilities ages 18-64 grew by 2.2 percent from 2019 to 2022, according to an analysis from the Massachusetts Department of Economic Research.
Five cities — Boston, Worcester, Springfield, Fall River and Lowell — are home to more than 100,000 working-age individuals with disabilities, representing 20 percent of the state's disability population.
"Despite this widespread presence of persons with disabilities across the state, there's notable disparity in labor market outcomes across different communities," David Jan, senior applied economist at DER, said during a Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities meeting.
While the unemployment rate for people with disabilities is 12.7 percent in Lowell, the rate is 22.8 percent in Springfield, Jan said as he cited U.S. Census Bureau data from 2017-2021. The unemployment rates were 15.3 percent in Boston, 14.6 percent in Fall River and 12.1 percent in Worcester.
"Clearly these disparities and labor market outcomes across the state underscore structural inequities," Jan said. "It's highlighting how employment opportunities for people with disabilities are influenced by a range of factors, including access to education, transportation, health care, support services and accessibility accommodations."
The percentage of the state's working-age population with disabilities has grown from 8.6 percent in 2019 to 10 percent in 2022. Jan said the increase stems from a rise in young adults who have cognitive challenges that he said may be linked to long COVID effects.
Commission chair Rep. Denise Garlick said she was "fascinated" by Jan's research, which pulls from a disability equity dashboard that's under development but is launching soon. DER has published other equity dashboards focused on race and gender.
"This work of the Department of Economic Research is a tremendous tool for those of us who are committed to the individuals, the status of individuals with disabilities, and their ability to be engaged," Garlick said. "I do know that this presentation only captures those individuals that are currently in the workforce or currently we can track on unemployment, and not the larger population of individuals with disabilities that would like to be engaged in the workforce. But I believe that this research is the bridge to these individuals."
Jan said people with disabilities are likely to earn far less than their peers, and they're underrepresented in high-paying jobs like management. But the rise of remote work during and after the pandemic has removed a major barrier for some individuals.
Top jobs for people with disabilities are office and administrative support, transportation and material moving, and sales, he said.
Their low earnings are partly driven by the large volume of people who work part-time compared to their counterparts without disabilities, Jan said. In 2022, their median annual earnings were $33,000, compared to $21,000 in 2010, he said.
"Another interesting insight is the gap between the median earnings for people with and without disabilities in Massachusetts is wider than the national gap, suggesting that people with disabilities in the state may face additional challenges in finding employment and earning a living wage," Jan said.
Commission member Chris White, CEO of disability service provider Road to Responsibility, requested that economists also include hourly wages for people with disabilities in their equity dashboard.
"That might control for the part-time versus full-time disparity that's seen, and it might also help to focus in better on what the larger structural issues are that are impacting people with disabilities," he said.