Unemployment Amongst the Disabled: A Global Perspective

International Journal of Economics and Management Studies

© 2025 by SSRG - IJEMS Journal

Volume 12 Issue 11

Year of Publication : 2025

Authors : Viraj Gupta

10.14445/23939125/IJEMS-V12I11P101

How to Cite?

Viraj Gupta, "Unemployment Amongst the Disabled: A Global Perspective," SSRG International Journal of Economics and Management Studies, vol. 12,  no. 11, pp. 1-12, 2025. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23939125/IJEMS-V12I11P101

Abstract:

People With Disabilities (PWDs) continue to be on the fringes of the global labor market, with unemployment rates much higher than those of non-disabled people. This paper explores continent-wide differences using 2022 ILO data for Asia, Africa, the Arab States, the Americas, and Europe, with respect to the roles of gender and education. It was discovered that Asia had the lowest unemployment rate among disabled people, at 5.52 percent, followed by Africa (5.85%), the Americas (7.50%), the Arab States (24.49%), and Europe (26.03%). Low unemployment in developing countries is often a reflection of informal and unstable employment. Meanwhile, the higher rate in Europe reflected structural barriers. Additionally, gender differences introduce further complexities. In the Arab States, the unemployment rate for women with disabilities was more than 7 percentage points higher than that of men. In contrast, men did less well in Europe by about 5%. The Americas had very small gender gaps, while in Asia and Africa, men were slightly more unemployed than women. Moreover, in the Arab States, Africa, and Asia, higher education is associated with higher unemployment, known as the education penalty, with Asia having the most dramatic reversal, with advanced degree holders experiencing approximately 10.91 percent unemployment versus 4.88 percent for minimal education. By comparison, the Americas had the lowest unemployment for advanced education at around 7.06 percent. In Europe, the results were very different; unemployment for women with low education was above 50 percent, whereas the unemployment rate for highly educated men was the lowest in the region, below 25 percent. Thus, exclusion is not a result of a lack of skills but structural barriers, which need region-specific solutions.

Keywords:

Disability Employment, Unemployment Disparities, Gender Inequality, Education Penalty, Regional Differences, Labor Market Exclusion.

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