Employment of people with disabilities remains in a holding pattern

The latest National Trends in Disability Employment (nTIDE) report shows that the labor market appears to be in a holding pattern for people with disabilities and people without disabilities, as the economy slows and uncertainty around the tariffs continues. nTIDE is issued by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability.

Based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Jobs Report released today, the employment-to-population ratio for people with disabilities (ages 16–64) decreased from 37.5% in March 2025 to 37.4% in April 2025 (down 0.3% or 0.1 percentage points).

For people without disabilities (ages 16–64), the employment-to-population ratio increased from 74.8% in March 2025 to 75.1% in April 2025 (up 0.4% or 0.3 percentage points). The employment-to-population ratio, a key indicator, reflects the percentage of people who are working relative to the total population (the number of people working divided by the number of people in the total population multiplied by 100).

“The employment-to-population ratio for people with and without disabilities last month remained stable,” remarked John O’Neill, Ph.D., director of the Center for Employment and Disability Research at Kessler Foundation. “This stability may be, at least partially, due to employers rushing to increase purchasing and production in anticipation increased tariffs on raw and intermediate goods,” he added.

Meanwhile, the labor force participation rate for people with disabilities (ages 16–64) increased from 40.9% in March 2025 to 41% in April 2025 (up 0.2% or 0.1 percentage points). For people without disabilities (ages 16–64), the labor force participation rate decreased from 78% in March 2025 to 77.9% in April 2025 (down 0.1% or 0.1 percentage points).

The labor force participation rate is the percentage of the population that is working or actively looking for work (the number of people in the labor force divided by the number of people in the total population multiplied by 100).

“The economic uncertainty and declining economic growth in the U.S. economy has yet to hit the job market,” said Andrew Houtenville, Ph.D., professor of economics and director of the UNH-IOD.

“It is important to note that labor market indicators—like the labor force participation rate, employment to population ratio, and unemployment rate—are ‘lag indicators,’ meaning their ups and downs occur several months behind the ups and downs of economic growth indicators, like Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” he added.

Year-to-year nTIDE numbers (comparing April 2024 to April 2025)

When compared to the same month last year, the employment-to-population ratio for people with disabilities (ages 16–64) decreased from 37.9% in April 2024 to 37.4% in April 2025 (down 1.3% or 0.5 percentage points). For people without disabilities (ages 16–64), the employment-to-population ratio also decreased from 75.1% in April 2024 to 75.1% in April 2025 (down 0% or 0 percentage points).

The labor force participation rate for people with disabilities (ages 16–64) increased from 40.6% in April 2024 to 41% in April 2025 (up 1% or 0.4 percentage points). For people without disabilities (ages 16–64), the labor force participation rate also increased from 77.8% in April 2024 to 77.9% in April 2025 (up 0.1% or 0.1 percentage points).

In April, among workers ages 16–64, the 6,288,000 workers with disabilities represented 4.1% of the total 152,674,000 workers in the U.S.