Purpl Poll Highlights Struggle to Find Work

As the UK continues to grapple with unemployment and rising living costs, new polling this month from money-saving platform Purpl reveals the hidden costs disabled people are facing in struggling to access suitable employment.

The data, from Purpl’s Facebook community group of over 7,000, has found that 83% of disabled people believe their disability has made it significantly more difficult to find suitable employment, and almost one in five (18%) disabled jobseekers say they have been left searching for work for more than two years.

When asked about the biggest impact of being out of work and unable to secure employment, over a third (32%) said it had negatively affected their mental health, while almost a quarter (22%) reported feeling isolated or lacking independence. 

For others, the impact is felt directly in their finances, with one in five (20%) saying they were struggling to pay their bills or rent, while 13% said they were relying on family or friends financially. A further 3% said being out of work had also delayed them from moving out or buying a home.

According to Scope, disabled households already need an extra £1,095 each month on average just to have the same standard of living as non-disabled households, supporting Purpl’s latest findings. And this extra cost of disability is only climbing, estimated to reach £1,224 per month by the 2029 to 2030 financial year. 

Polls from Scope show 38% of the UK population think employers have the biggest responsibility in making it easier for disabled people to get into work.

For many disabled people, remote jobs are not just a perk but offer access to employment that in-person jobs sometimes fail to cater for.

According to previous Purpl data, without the option of remote work, a third (30%) said they would struggle to stay in work and for (20%) it would limit the jobs they could apply for altogether due to inaccessibility. 

The founder of Purpl, Georgina Colman (pictured above), says the recent findings highlight the importance of recognising the costs disabled people face before they can even reach the workplace.

“Finding work can be challenging for anyone in this economy, but for disabled people, there can be additional barriers and costs that others simply don’t have to think about,” said Georgina, who lives with multiple sclerosis and ADHD.

“These additional costs can include accessible transport to interviews, support workers or carers, specialist equipment and assistive technology for applications and assessments, and extra childcare or care arrangements.

“Some disabled jobseekers may also face higher medical and energy bills, accessible accommodation costs when travelling for interviews, or financial uncertainty around moving from benefits into employment.

“What’s particularly concerning is that these costs can build up while someone is already without a regular income, creating a cycle that can be incredibly difficult to break.”

Purpl was created to help reduce some of the additional financial pressures associated with living with a disability or long-term health condition. Visit https://www.purpldiscounts.com/ for further information.