Under-promotion costs disabled workers £4.2bn a year in lost earnings
Disabled workers suffer over £4 billion in lost earnings every year due to under-promotion. Our analysis shows there are over a quarter of a million missing disabled managers and senior leaders in the workforce.
Whilst public discourse often highlights the disability employment gap, the 28% difference in employment rates, or the disability pay gap, where disabled workers earn 13% less per hour than their non-disabled peers, far less attention is paid to what happens after someone gets a job (Office for National Statistics, 2023, 2024). Despite equal ambition, many disabled workers remain stuck in junior roles, overlooked for progression and leadership opportunities.
Our work today measures the impact of this underpromotion which costs disabled workers over £700 each a year in lost earnings.
