Tap into talent of disabled workers to fill skills gap

WE'RE a facing national shortage of skills in the UK, yet there's an untapped pool of talent that's often overlooked W I'm talking about the one million disabled people who are actively looking for work.

- Dr Shani Dhanda

The British Chambers of Commerce recently found 76 per cent of businesses struggled to find the right staff, with 56 per cent operating below their full potential, impacting productivity. But companies leading the charge in diversity and inclusion are 35 per cent more likely to outperform the average. Considering disabled people are the largest excluded, diverse group, why is there such a huge disconnect? overLiving with a health condition or impairment comes with significant financial implications: disabled people, on average, grapple with unavoidable additional expenses totalling £975 a month - mine totalled a staggering £13,000 last year.

But beyond the financial strain is the deeper issue of how disabled jobseekers are perceived. Shockingly, 32 per cent hold the view our community is less productive than non-disabled counterparts, according to disability charity Scope. A further troubling statistic is that one in five wouldn't consider hiring someone with a disability over fears around support, equipment, resources and skills.