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New Support for Disabled Jobseekers

It is not uncommon for people with a disability or a health condition to have some concerns about looking for a job or worry about joining the workplace. Thanks to a new government initiative announced in April 2021, disabled job seekers will get extra support and additional resources to help them start work.

Government Boosts Specialist Adviser Roles

Increasing the number of specialist advisers should help more disabled jobseekers secure a job and then stay in work.

As a result, jobcentres around the United Kingdom will have 315 additional Disability Employment Advisors (DEAs) by May 2021.

A further boost sees the number of ‘Disability Confident‘ employers set a new record and reach 20,000 at the end of April.

Hence, more businesses are joining some of the major employers that welcome and already include workers with disabilities into their workforce (e.g. Microsoft, Network Rail, and Sainsbury’s).

The Minister of State (Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work) provided further comments and said:

  • The recovery from the pandemic will include the redoubling of efforts to boost support for disabled jobseekers.
  • Furthermore, we plan on helping 1 million more disabled people secure work by 2027.
  • It’s clear that this is a challenging time. Even so, we will continue to build on the record disability employment we have already seen, by:
    • Creating more jobs for disabled people.
    • Protecting and supporting people who are working with disabilities in the workplace.
  • Having a diverse and inclusive workforce is extremely valuable to the economy. Seeing employers across Britain sign up to government programmes, such as Disability Confident, is a tremendous achievement.
  • We encourage other companies and organisations of all sizes to follow their example and support disabled workers, allowing them to unlock their full potential.

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Recruiting Disabled Workers

The latest recruitment drive builds on previous initiatives. For example, 13,500 new jobcentre Work Coaches are already helping to support the recovery effort, post pandemic.

Adding 315 extra Disability Employment Advisers (DEA) will bring the total number to 1,115 – upon completion of the full process.

Disability Employment Adviser Roles

DEAs work alongside Work Coaches and they cover every jobcentre across the country. They specialise in finding the right support and resources to help clients with disabilities or health conditions get into work.

Moreover, the Access to Work scheme now underpins the Plan for Jobs scheme in the United Kingdom. As such, people with disabilities are already reaping the benefits in the workplace.

The scheme is already available to people who can work from home. Besides including grants up to the value of £62,900, it can also cover the cost of making workplace adjustments for disabled people so they can carry out their jobs (e.g. mental health support, sign language interpreters).

Benefits News and Welfare Help Guides

Government unveils new support for disabled jobseekers in the United Kingdom