Research and analysis

Disabled people's employment in the UK: a thematic review of the literature

A qualitative literature review that explores the lived experiences of disabled people in the UK regarding employment.

Documents

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Request an accessible format.
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Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email accessible.formats@cabinetoffice.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Details

This research was commissioned under the previous government and therefore does not necessarily reflect the polices of the current government. The views expressed are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of the government.

The aim of this report is to better understand disabled people’s experiences of employment in the UK. 

It builds on the findings from the systematic literature review conducted by the Centre for Disability Studies at the University of Leeds, and Disability Rights UK.

The report’s findings show that:

  • disabled people face barriers in every aspect of employment and negative perceptions about impairment impact the hiring and retention of disabled people
  • the most prominent type of discrimination is ‘systemic discrimination’ – this indicates that barriers to work arise more from barriers in society than from people and their impairments
  • people’s experiences at work can significantly affect their general well-being and feelings of belonging in wider society

Alternative formats

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  • Easy Read
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Updates to this page

Published 17 July 2025

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