More people self-report as having disabilities now than before the pandemic, including for long-term impacts of having had covid. Image: DoD Courtesy Photo
By: FEDweek StaffThe continued higher rates of offsite working following the spike during the pandemic “could help older people with disabilities, who might otherwise find it hard to get or keep jobs,” says a report from the Center for Retirement Research.
“For workers with disabilities, remote work lowers the fixed cost of having a job by reducing commuting expenses, providing greater flexibility, and potentially allowing them to access the national labor market. For employers, remote jobs can reduce the costs of hiring because required accommodations are already available in the worker’s home,” it says.
“Indeed, this group has a higher employment rate post-pandemic than pre-pandemic,” it adds, citing data that the employment rate was 18 percent higher for persons with disabilities aged 51-64 at the end of 2023 vs. the end of 2019.
It adds that another contributing factor is that more people self-report as having disabilities now than before the pandemic, including for long-term impacts of having had covid. Also, due to the recent tight labor market, “employers may be more willing to offer accommodations such as more flexible hours and more frequent breaks.”
However, even controlling for those factors, the employment rate is up by about 12 percent, it said, and “nearly all of the post-pandemic employment gain for older people with disabilities has been in teleworkable occupations . . . Remote work benefits older workers with disabilities by allowing some to reenter the labor force and others to switch jobs instead of exiting work.”
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