The Society of Pension Professionals (SPP) is urging the pensions industry to lead change in tackling the disability employment and pensions gaps.
Its latest published paper, titled “Inclusive Futures,” includes insights from Disability Rights UK chief executive Kamran Mallick and Travers Smith consultant lawyer Charlotte Feld.
Mallick highlights the scale of the challenge, noting that disabled people are twice as likely to be unemployed as non-disabled people and are paid on average 13.8 per cent less per hour when in work.
He says: “These inequalities result not from individual capability, but structural and attitudinal barriers within our labour market.”
He calls for employers to reimagine recruitment, make workplace adjustments easier to access and embed disability inclusion into broader DEI strategies.
He says: “From inaccessible recruitment processes to workplace cultures that fail to understand or accommodate different needs, the business world still has far to go”.
Mallick urges businesses to adopt the Disability Employment Charter, report on disability pay gaps and act on the findings and co-produce policies with disabled employees to create lasting change.
He adds: “The pensions industry must lead by example, actively supporting systemic changes to improve employment outcomes for disabled people… We can all be part of a national movement committed to closing the disability employment and pension gaps, making a meaningful step towards a more inclusive and equitable future.”
Feld shares her own experience of living with multiple health conditions, undergoing major surgery and negotiating flexible working arrangements to stay in a career she loves.
She says: “Chronic illness combined with caring responsibilities can make somebody a determined, efficient, innovative problem-solver. Employers, take note. We may be so reliable and capable you don’t realise we’re struggling.”
She praises employers who provide adjustments, such as home working, reduced hours and active disability and menopause networks but warns that many disabled employees are not as fortunate.
She says: “Many UK disabled employees don’t get adjustments, forcing them out of hard-earned careers and often into poverty.”
Feld also points to the link between disability and pension poverty, noting that 45 per cent of people over state pension age have disabilities
She adds: “I hope policymakers and industry gain more understanding of the barriers disabled people (and carers) face and more fully include disabled people – whether as your colleagues or as pension scheme members.”
