Remote work helps push disabled employment to a record high of 21%. But the gain is imperiled by return to the office mandates

The percentage of disabled people who were employed rose to 21.3% in 2022, according to data released Thursday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s more than a two percentage point increase from 2021 and the most since 2008, when comparable data were first published.

The unemployment rate for disabled people dropped last year along with the national average. And while the labor force participation rate did tick up for those without disabilities, it went up by three times as much for people with disabilities.

Daily tasks such as commuting and navigating an office space can be difficult for people depending on their disabilities. As companies adopted remote and hybrid work arrangements, more disabled people applied for and landed jobs — sometimes for the first time in years.

The recent push by companies urging workers to return to the office may threaten the gains made by disabled people, who comprise about 12% of the population, according to the BLS. A report by the consulting firm McKinsey & Co. published last June estimated that 35% of companies offered a fully remote option. 

Overall, disabled people are still less likely to be employed than their counterparts who don’t have disabilities, and they are twice as likely to be employed part-time, the BLS report said. They’re also more likely to be self-employed.