The Missing Million Supporting disabled people into work

There are well over one million disabled people missing from the labour market - people who want to work but are not working. Three million people claim incapacity benefits: more than the combined total of lone parents and unemployed people claiming unemployment benefits. This issue is likely to become increasingly important as one in five adults of working age are now disabled and we have an ageing population in which older people are more likely to become disabled.

The authors show current policies to be inadequate to meet the scale and importance of the challenge of supporting many more disabled people into work. They suggest seven key themes that the Government and others must now pursue.

'All the ideas are worthy of consideration and are part of the Great Conversation. The challenge is to move from talk to positive action with the support and involvement of disabled people. I am confident the report is a contribution to do just that.'

-Bert Massie, Chairman, Disability Rights Commission.

'We welcome ippr's contribution to the continuing debate about the barriers disabled people face in seeking and retaining employment. The Missing Million will make a vital contribution to developing fresh energy and focus on the long term challenges.'

- Kate Nash, Director, RADAR