nTIDE May 2025 Jobs Report: Employment of People with Disabilities Remains in a Holding Pattern

National Trends in Disability Employment (nTIDE) – Issued monthly by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire

2025-05-02

(Press-News.org) East Hanover, NJ – May 2, 2025 – The latest National Trends in Disability Employment (nTIDE) report shows that the labor market appears to be in a holding pattern for people with disabilities and people without disabilities, as the economy slows and uncertainty around the tariffs continues. nTIDE is issued by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability.

Month-to-Month nTIDE Numbers (comparing March 2025 to April 2025)

Based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Jobs Report released today, the employment-to-population ratio for people with disabilities (ages 16-64) decreased from 37.5 percent in March 2025 to 37.4 percent in April 2025 (down 0.3 percent or 0.1 percentage points). For people without disabilities (ages 16-64), the employment-to-population ratio increased from 74.8 percent in March 2025 to 75.1 percent in April 2025 (up 0.4 percent or 0.3 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 and without disabilities last month remained stable,” remarked John O’Neill, PhD, director of the Center for Employment and Disability Research at Kessler Foundation. “This stability may be, at least partially, due to employers rushing to increase purchasing and production in anticipation increased tariffs on raw and intermediate goods,” he added.

Meanwhile, the labor force participation rate for people with disabilities (ages 16-64) increased from 40.9 percent in March 2025 to 41 percent in April 2025 (up 0.2 percent or 0.1 percentage points). For people without disabilities (ages 16-64), the labor force participation rate decreased from 78 percent in March 2025 to 77.9 percent in April 2025 (down 0.1 percent or 0.1 percentage points). 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).

“The economic uncertainty and declining economic growth in the U.S. economy has yet to hit the job market,” said Andrew Houtenville, PhD, professor of economics and director of the UNH-IOD. “It is important to note that labor market indicators—like the labor force participation rate, employment to population ratio, and unemployment rate—are ‘lag indicators,’ meaning their ups and downs occur several months behind the ups and downs of economic growth indicators, like Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” he added.

Year-to-Year nTIDE Numbers (comparing April 2024 to April 2025)

When compared to the same month last year, the employment-to-population ratio for people with disabilities (ages 16-64) decreased from 37.9 percent in April 2024 to 37.4 percent in April 2025 (down 1.3 percent or 0.5 percentage points). For people without disabilities (ages 16-64), the employment-to-population ratio also decreased from 75.1 percent in April 2024 to 75.1 percent in April 2025 (down 0 percent or 0 percentage points).

The labor force participation rate for people with disabilities (ages 16-64) increased from 40.6 percent in April 2024 to 41 percent in April 2025 (up 1 percent or 0.4 percentage points). For people without disabilities (ages 16-64), the labor force participation rate also increased from 77.8 percent in April 2024 to 77.9 percent in April 2025 (up 0.1 percent or 0.1 percentage points).

In April, among workers ages 16-64, the 6,288,000 workers with disabilities represented 4.1 percent of the total 152,674,000 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 May 2, 2025, at 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Eastern, guest presenter Katherine Neas, The Arc, joins Drs. John O'Neill, Debra Brucker, and Denise Rozell, AUCD. Join our free Lunch & Learn live or visit the nTIDE archives at: ResearchonDisability.org/nTIDE.

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 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 men and women 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 event.

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:
Sara Jane Samuel, SSamuel@KesslerFoundation.org

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