The Importance of Small and Medium Size Employers for Closing the Disability Employment Gap
What role do small and medium size employers (SMEs) play in reducing the ‘disability employment gap’ (the difference between the number of disabled and non-disabled people in paid employment), and what are the experiences of SMEs in hiring and retaining disabled people (including workers with long-term health conditions)? So often the SME employer voice has been missing from studies into the disability employment gap, with far more attention given to the needs of large employers. However, there is now an emerging body of new research which is providing a clearer picture of UK based SME employer experiences from across various different industrial sectors. For example, my thesis Disabled People, Work and Small-Medium-Size Enterprises explores the barriers and challenges that both disabled people and SME employers face. The research found evidence that small employers often worry unnecessarily about the cost implications for their business, which might be as...
