Disability Equality Index 2021

A year after COVID-19 brought workplaces and society to a halt, we find ourselves entering a new normal unlike anything we’ve seen before. The job market is tight, talent is migrating, and more workers are reassessing their jobs.

The number of workers who have seriously considered leaving their current place of work—66%, according to a new Pew Research Center survey—gives workers more leverage than they’ve had in decades. Prospective candidates have indicated a shift in their priorities: They desire better work-life balance, more inclusive workplaces, and are looking for employers who openly speak up in support of social justice issues.

Against this dynamic backdrop, companies have become more conscious about creating safe and culturally engaged workplaces and are implementing policies that prioritize the needs of their employees.

To speed up the economic recovery and to attract new talent, companies need to be more inclusive of people with disabilities. More than one billion people, or 15% of the global population, are disabled. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 4 Americans have a disability and they are twice as likely to be unemployed than those without disabilities.