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Disability Statistics Q&A
This is the first year ever that statistics have been released for Americans with disabilities in the area of unemployment. Could you describe the importance of employment data for persons with disabilities?
With the release of these data, the federal government statistically recognizes those with disabilities as participants in the civilian labor force. Before the release of these official disability employment statistics, many and conflicting numbers were available from various services. With these data, citizens and their representatives now have available data and analyses that comply with established standards set forth by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). On its website, BLS provides a comprehensive description of how the data were obtained and the rules used to analyze and report that data. BLS also provides answers to frequently asked questions about the disability data.
The information is made possible by ODEP’s sponsorship of data collection by means of questions added to the Current Population Survey (CPS). The goal of placing disability questions in the CPS is to provide a current and accurate measure of the employment status of people with disabilities. These data will be used in the development of disability employment policy. The measure of success or difficulty in the labor market is an important way to evaluate the needs of different groups of people, and a timely and detailed measure of employment status allows for analysis of changes in labor market experiences over time. This information can be valuable in guiding public policy designed to help groups who experience labor market difficulties. ODEP will be using this information to develop policy and to begin targeting effective practices developed by our agency in our technical assistance, training, and dissemination efforts.
What caused Americans with disabilities to finally be included and how important is this?
The development and release of the data this year was the culmination of efforts that can be traced back to an Executive Order signed in 1998 by then President Clinton to address issues involving the employment of adults with disabilities. The questions were developed over time through the combined efforts of multiple federal agencies, disability experts from academic and other fields, and numerous stakeholders.
How was the August unemployment rate of 16.9% for persons with disabilities determined?
In August 2009, the unemployment rate of persons with a disability was 16.9 percent, compared with 9.3 percent for persons with no disability, not seasonally adjusted. These numbers are calculated for each group by dividing the number of persons who are identified in the CPS as unemployed by the total identified as being in the labor force. A table containing extensive labor force data for those with and without disabilities that is updated on a monthly basis is available at www.bls.gov/cps/cpsdisability.htm
Why was there a jump of unemployment for people with disabilities from 15.1 percent in July to 16.9 percent in August? What does that mean?
There was an increase in the portion of people with disabilities age 16 to 64 from 15.1 percent in July 2009 to 16.9 percent in August 2009, not seasonally adjusted. The fact that these data are not seasonally adjusted is important to note, particularly when evaluating month-to-month changes, because a normal seasonal change cannot be disentangled from changes that are due to changes in underlying economic conditions. Because we only began collecting data by disability status recently it will likely be several years before seasonally adjusted data become available. Regardless of whether we look at data for July or August, the unemployment rate for people with a disability (16.9 percent in August) in this age group is higher than that for people with no disability (9.3 percent in August).
Commonly Used Terms in BLS Employment Statistics
Before the recent release of the first set of official disability employment data, conflicting numbers were available from various sources. With the release, citizens and their representatives now have available data and analyses that comply with established standards set forth by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). On its website, BLS provides answers to frequently asked questions about the disability data. The following is an abbreviated version of that information. You may also want to refer to the BLS glossary.
The Current Population Survey (CPS) is a monthly survey of households conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It provides a comprehensive body of data on the labor force, employment, unemployment and persons not in the labor force.
The basic concepts involved in identifying the employed and unemployed are quite simple:
- People with jobs are employed.
- People who are jobless, looking for jobs, and available for work are unemployed.
- People who are neither employed nor unemployed are not in the labor force.
Labor force measures are based on the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years old and over. Excluded are persons under 16 years of age, all inmates of institutions and persons on active duty in the Armed Forces. All other members of the civilian noninstitutional population are eligible for inclusion in the labor force, and those 16 and over who have a job or are actively looking for one and available to work are so classified.
The Unemployment Rate tells you the percent of the labor force that is unemployed.
At this time, the disability employment statistics are not Seasonally Adjusted; i.e., the results are not adjusted for changes in weather, reduced or expanded production, harvests, major holidays, and the opening and closing of schools (see http://www.bls.gov/cps/eetech_seas.pdf).
BLS economists provide additional explanation in Explaining Employment and Unemployment Stats, a video posted here.
