The latest ADR UK Data Insight, produced by Daniel Derbyshire, combines data from the ASHE-Census 2011 dataset with data from the Annual Population Survey to examine the disability pay gap and disability employment gap across England and Wales. The insights presented here highlights how the nature and extent of labour market inequalities experienced by disabled people varies greatly across England and Wales.
Background
Disabled people experience significant and persistent labour market inequalities compared to non-disabled people. While the disability employment gap is well understood and researched, the disability pay gap remains relatively under-researched. This project seeks to use the ASHE-Census 2011 dataset to provide novel insights into the disability pay gap across England and Wales.
The Data
Daniel used the linked ASHE-Census 2021 dataset to combine detailed earnings data from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) with individual disability information recorded in the Census. By analysing this unique linkage, he compared average hourly pay between disabled and non-disabled employees across regions in England and Wales and calculated the disability pay gap as the difference in earnings between these groups.
The Findings
These findings show that the disability employment gap is not consistent, being generally larger across the north of England and in Wales compared to the south of England. Conversely, the disability pay gap tends to be larger in the south of England compared to the north of England and Wales.