nTIDE September 2021 COVID Update: Unemployment declines for second consecutive month

EAST HANOVER, N.J., Oct. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- For the second consecutive month, unemployment declined for people with and without disabilities, according to today's National Trends in Disability Employment (nTIDE) COVID Update. While this is a positive sign, experts caution that further improvements are needed to define a downward trend.  

As the economy recovers, there's evidence that some employers scrambling to fill job openings are reaching out to jobseekers with disabilities

 In April of 2020, restrictions on economic activity in the U.S. due to the COVID-19 pandemic precipitated an unprecedented rise in furloughs and people looking for work, prompting the addition of this mid-month nTIDE COVID Update. The mid-month nTIDE follows two key unemployment indicators – furloughs, or temporary layoffs, and the number of people looking for work, comparing trends for people with and without disabilities.

Although September's nTIDE COVID Update graphic shows lower unemployment, levels are still higher than pre-pandemic levels for both groups," noted nTIDE co-author Andrew Houtenville, PhD, professor of economics at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) and research director of the UNH Institute on Disability. "It remains unclear whether these chronic elevations constitute a 'new normal,' or a phase that will be followed by more substantial recovery. There will be multiple factors at play over the coming months, including the ongoing vaccination campaign and new recommendations for booster doses."

"However, the graphic also shows that people with disabilities are looking for work at rates higher than before the pandemic," Dr. Houtenville continued. "They are striving to work in greater numbers, most likely motivated by the opportunities in the evolving labor market, as well as the need to provide for themselves and their families."

About Kessler Foundation

Kessler Foundation, a major nonprofit organization in the field of disability, is a global leader in rehabilitation research that seeks to improve cognition, mobility, and long-term outcomes -- including employment -- for people with neurological disabilities caused by diseases and injuries of the brain and spinal cord. Kessler Foundation leads the nation in funding innovative programs that expand opportunities for employment for people with disabilities. For more information, visit KesslerFoundation.org.

About the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire

The Institute on Disability (IOD) at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) was established in 1987 to provide a coherent university-based focus for the improvement of knowledge, policies, and practices related to the lives of persons with disabilities and their families. For information on the NIDILRR-funded Employment Policy and Measurement Rehabilitation Research and Training Center, visit ResearchonDisability.org.

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SOURCE Kessler Foundation