nTIDE February 2025 Jobs Report: Labor force participation rate for people with disabilities hits an all-time high

(Press-News.org) East Hanover, NJ – February 7, 2024 – The latest National Trends in Disability Employment (nTIDE) report revealed a record-breaking Labor Force Participation Rate for people with disabilities, marking an all-time high. These gains build upon a steady upward trend, which exceeded those seen among people without disabilities. nTIDE is issued by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability (UNH-IOD).

Month-to-Month nTIDE Numbers (comparing December 2024 to January 2025)
Based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Jobs Report released today, the labor force participation rate for people with disabilities (ages 16-64) increased from 41.3 percent in December 2024 to 42.0 percent in January 2025 (up 1.7 percent or 0.7 percentage points). For people without disabilities (ages 16-64), the labor force participation rate remained the same at 77.7 percent for both months. The labor force participation rate is the percentage of the population that is working or actively looking for work (the number of people in the labor force divided by the number of people in the total population multiplied by 100).

“This January, the labor force participation rate for people with disabilities reached an all-time high of 42.0 percent, compared to the prior high of 41.7 percent set in May 2024,” remarked John O’Neill, PhD, director of the Center for Employment and Disability Research at Kessler Foundation. “This finding shows that people with disabilities continue to strive to work to break out of the plateau they achieved emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic,” he added.  

Meanwhile, the employment-to-population ratio for people with disabilities (ages 16-64) increased from 38.1 percent in December 2024 to 38.3 percent in January 2025 (up 0.5 percent or 0.2 percentage points). For people without disabilities (ages 16-64), the employment-to-population ratio decreased from 74.9 percent in December 2024 to 74.4 percent in January 2025 (down 0.7 percent or 0.5 percentage points). The employment-to-population ratio, a key indicator, reflects the percentage of people who are working relative to the total population (the number of people working divided by the number of people in the total population multiplied by 100).

“The employment-to-population ratio for people with disabilities increased for the past three months, returning to the all-time highs set in November 2023 and May 2024, a three-way tie at 38.3 percent,” said Andrew Houtenville, PhD, professor of economics and director of the UNH-IOD. “This latest increase in the Employment-to-Population rate over the past three months contrasts with a decline in the same metric among people without disabilities,” he stated.

"When we see more people with disabilities looking for work, it signals a strong desire to engage in the labor market," added Dr. O’Neill. "It’s essential that they are met with adequate job opportunities and resources to support their employment efforts."

Year-to-Year nTIDE Numbers (comparing January 2024 to January 2025)
When compared to the same month last year, the employment-to-population ratio for people with disabilities (ages 16-64) increased from 37.8 percent in January 2024 to 38.3 percent in January 2025 (up 1.3 percent or 0.5 percentage points). For people without disabilities (ages 16-64), the employment-to-population ratio also increased from 74.2 percent in January 2024 to 74.4 percent in January 2025 (up 0.3 percent or 0.2 percentage points).     

The labor force participation rate for people with disabilities (ages 16-64) increased from 40.5 percent in January 2024 to 42 percent in January 2025 (up 3.7 percent or 1.5 percentage points). For people without disabilities (ages 16-64), the labor force participation rate also increased from 77.3 percent in January 2024 to 77.7 percent in January 2025 (up 0.5 percent or 0.4 percentage points).

In January 2025, among workers ages 16-64, the 6,614,000 workers with disabilities represented 4.4 percent of the total 151,244,000 workers in the U.S.    

Ask Questions about Disability and Employment
Each nTIDE release is followed by an nTIDE Lunch & Learn online webinar. This live broadcast, hosted via Zoom Webinar, offers attendees Q&A on the latest nTIDE findings, provides news, updates from the field, and features invited panelists who discuss current disability-related findings and events.
On February 7, 2027, at 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm Eastern, guest presenter Kelly Nye-Lengerman, PhD, Principal Researcher, Mathematica, joins Drs. O’Neill, Houtenville, and Denise Rozell, AUCD. Join our free Lunch & Learn live or visit the nTIDE archives at: ResearchonDisability.org/nTIDE. In the coming month, the nTIDE Year in Review summary will be released in a separate report. 
________________________________________
About nTIDE Updates
National Trends in Disability Employment (nTIDE) is a joint project of Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability. The nTIDE team closely monitors the job numbers, issuing semi-monthly reports that track the impact of economic shifts on employment for people with and without disabilities. The statistics in the nTIDE are based on BLS numbers but are not identical. They are customized by UNH to combine the statistics for people of working age (16- 64). nTIDE is funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR; 90RTGE0005) and Kessler Foundation. Each nTIDE release is followed by an nTIDE Lunch & Learn online webinar. This live broadcast, hosted via Zoom Webinar, offers attendees Q&A on the latest nTIDE findings, provides news, updates from the field, and features invited panelists who discuss current disability-related findings and events.

About the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire
The Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire was established in 1987 to provide a university-based focus for the improvement of knowledge, policies, and practices related to the lives of persons with disabilities and their families. For information on the Institute’s NIDILRR-funded Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics (StatsRRTC), visit ResearchOnDisability.org.

About Kessler Foundation
Kessler Foundation, a major nonprofit organization in the field of disability, is a global leader in rehabilitation research. Our scientists seek to improve cognition, mobility, and long-term outcomes, including employment, for adults and children with neurological and developmental disabilities of the brain and spinal cord including traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and autism. Kessler Foundation also leads the nation in funding innovative programs that expand opportunities for employment for people with disabilities. KesslerFoundation.org.

For more information, contact:
Deb Hauss, DHauss@KesslerFoundation.org

Stay Connected with Kessler Foundation
X (formerly known as Twitter) | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram | SoundCloud
 

END